The Face of Love
by Apple Pie
Summary: Jonas arrived in Elsewhere, but he just happened to pick their door to knock on. And who should answer the door but... Fiona?
1. Fiona?

A/N: I read this book *counts on fingers* four years ago. Sixth grade, Table Rock Middle School, Mrs. Holland's class. Whew. THAT was a while ago. Buddy, if I liked the books I read now as a sophomore in high school as much as I liked reading The Giver in sixth grade, life would be great.

Alas, that doesn't seem to be the case. I actually saw this category about mid-March and decided to write a fic. See, I had always thought of fanfiction for it but I never actually wrote it down. This is the most detailed story that I kept in my head throughout the years and so I typed it up and posted it. 

And another thing; Jonas was probably 13 when the book ended (email me if you have questions about that and I'll explain myself more) and in my opinion really acted older than that the entire book. I suppose it was because it was a solemn novel. Anyhow, I know the age will seem young for the things Jonas will do in this story but, hey, I'm continuing from the book. And if Lois Lowry wants to make him 13 and I want to pick up right where she left off, then by Zeus I have to make the guy 13 too.

I also disclaim certain portions of this chapter because they are quoted directly from the novel. ^_^

Enough of my talking; here's the fic. I'm a avid supporter of Jonas and Fiona--just warning you ahead of time. ^_^
    
    ******************************************

Cold. It was achingly cold. That was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

And Gabe. He was a bundle of cloth against Jonas, his small face hidden from view. The snow fell around them still but it was different now. The ride down had been fast, the snow whipping and near cruel against Jonas's skin. Now he was walking, having left the sled at the bottom of the hill. Now the snow fell in peaceful flakes, drifting down to the ground beneath his feet.

The houses were close, full of lights just as he had somehow expected. The sight was heavenly, golden and he almost wished he could freeze the moment forever. The singing was still distant but audible and getting closer with every step. 

"See it, Gabe?" he whispered to the bundle in his arms. "The lights? We're finally here."

He knew the child didn't hear him, lost in deep slumber the way he was. Jonas sighed, breathing in the cold air, blowing his breath into sight the way he had in his memory. With the last bit of strength he possessed he took another step forward, keeping his gaze on the small house closest to him. 

Another step. So close--barely ten feet from the front door. He could make it. He HAD to make it. Shifting Gabriel in his arms, he ascended the few steps on the front porch and took a moment to simply stare at the large wooden door. It was mesmerizing; coming this far for this moment.

Lifting his left arm, he balled his fist and brought it against the wood twice. The knocks were insistent and audible on the other side of the door but they were tired, long knocks and his fist lingered a bit on the door after the second knock. He seemed ready to collapse at any given second.

Vaguely he heard scuffling on the other side of the door, faint voices. His eyes were locked on the doorknob as he watched it turn 180 degrees. A moment later, the door was pulled open and he looked up to meet the eyes of his receiver.

Maybe it had been the cold, his temperature rising as he fought the pounding headache inside of him. Maybe it had been his genuine surprise at locking gazes with the girl who had answered the door. He never knew. But in the instant before he collapsed against her, he could only find the strength to utter her name.

"Fiona?"

**********************************

"Diana!"

Eve faltered under the dead weight of him and the child he carried in his arms. Finding that she wasn't strong enough to stand and support them at the same time, she slowly dropped to her knees, carefully taking the baby from his arm. The sleeping bundle didn't stir.

"Diana! Mom! Quick!" she shouted again, briefly turning her head toward the den where her sister had been watching the television. The sound of running feet followed as her older sister reached the foyer.

"Oh my--" she cut off as Eve held her arm out to her.

Wordlessly, she took the baby from her and looked down to the floor where her younger sister sat, a boy no older than fourteen out cold on the floor, his head resting in Eve's lap.

"What's going on?"

Both girls turned to see their mother come into view, drying her hands on a dishtowel. When the older woman saw them, she quickly disposed of the cloth. "What in the name of--"

"Ask questions later; carry him in now," Eve instructed, lifting the boy's head from her lap. 

The older woman obeyed, coming to help. With some effort they managed to roll him over, Eve supporting his upper body, her mother carrying his legs. Taking initiative, Diana closed the door after they had moved him out of the way, the baby beginning to stir. She shook him slightly, shushing him and wondering who he was.

When the older boy had been carried to the sofa, the three women stood back, looking at him and taking in the situation.

"So who is he?" Diana finally voiced, still rocking the baby in her arms.

Eve lifted her shoulders in a bewildered shrug. "I don't know; he didn't say anything. I just answered the door and he fainted into me."

She stopped suddenly, remembering. He HAD said something. His eyes had widened, his face clearly recognizing her though she had no idea who he was. His phrase was muffled, gasped out in his last breath before he collapsed but she had heard it. He had called her "Fiona." Did she look like someone he had known? Someone he perhaps had even cared for? The look in his eyes when he had said it was unmistakably a deeper longing.

"Odd," her mother said, sitting on the sofa beside him. "Well, he's out cold. Go and get me some hot water... and a clean cloth."

Eve obliged, quickly making her way to the kitchen. Diana gently set the baby down on a separate couch, making sure to put him in such a position that he couldn't fall off. Then she moved to help her mother remove the boy's shoes. 

"He was out in this weather with only a long-sleeve?" Diana asked aloud, not actually directing the question to anyone. "He's crazy."

"He probably wasn't prepared for it. Something tells me he came a long way to get here and it wasn't easy for him," the mother replied, patting random places along his face and neck to see if it was possible he had hypothermia.

"Here," Eve said, returning to the den with a steaming bowl of hot water in her right hand, a white cloth in the other. When her mother had taken the items, she stood looking over the boy her age, arms loosely crossed. His hair was brown in color, though she could see hints of blond peeking through. His eyes were blue as the sky on a summer day, brief as the chance for her to see them had been. Now his long lashes settled against his skin, his lids never fluttering. He must have been exhausted.

"Should I put some soup on the stove?" she questioned warily, shooting glances to her mother and sister.

"Yeah... keep it warm too," Diana answered, looking up briefly.

Eve nodded and looked one last time down to him. Her curiosity grew. Who was he? Shaking her thoughts, she turned and headed again for the kitchen.

********************************************

__

"I go in here, Jonas," Fiona told him when they reached the front door of the House of the Old after parking their bicycles in the designated area. "I don't know why I'm so nervous," she confessed. "I've been here so often before." She turned her folder over in her hands.

"Well, everything's different now," Jonas reminded her.

"Even the nameplates on our bikes," Fiona laughed. During the night the nameplate of each new Twelve had been removed by the Maintenance Crew and replaced with the style that indicated citizen-in-training.

"I don't want to be late," she said hastily, and started up the steps. "If we finish at the same time, I'll ride home with you."

~*~

__

"I looked for you yesterday," Fiona told him, "so we could ride home together. Your bike was still there, and I waited for a little while. But it was getting late, so I went on home."

"I apologize for making you wait," Jonas said.

"I accept your apology," she replied automatically.

"I stayed a little longer than I expected," Jonas explained.

She pedaled forward silently, and he knew that she expected him to tell her why. She expected him to describe his first day of training. But to ask would have fallen into the category of rudeness.

"You've been doing so many volunteer hours with the Old," Jonas said, changing the subject. "There won't be much that you don't already know."

"Oh, there's lots to learn," Fiona replied. "There's administrative work, and the dietary rules, and the punishment for disobedience-did you know that they use a discipline wand on the Old, the same as for small children? And there's occupational therapy, and recreational activities, and medications, and-"

They reached the building and braked their bikes.

"I really think I'll like it better than school," Fiona confessed.

"Me too," Jonas agreed, wheeling his bike into its place.

~*~

__

"Do you want to go for a ride along the river, Jonas?" Fiona asked, biting her lip with nervousness.

Jonas looked at her. She was so lovely. For a fleeting moment he thought he would like nothing better than to ride peacefully along the river path, laughing and talking with his gentle female friend.

******************************

"Fiona."

Eve blinked, removed the cloth from his forehead with a confused expression. Regardless, she kept her silence as she watched his eyes flutter, those blue eyes of his that she had caught a glimpse of before. He had murmured the name again-that NAME that he had called her. Eve sat in her chair primly, thinking about it. This Fiona must have meant a lot to him.

They had moved him to the spare room and discovered more injuries. He had slept two hours then, Eve looking over him for the last thirty minutes before he finally murmured, probably from troubled sleep.

His eyes finally opened and found her, sitting by his bedside, staring intently at him with her own blue eyes. 

Jonas blinked and shook his head. He had been dreaming about her... and now she was sitting right next to him... no, it couldn't have been her. What would she have been doing here? And for that matter, where was HERE? Where was HE?

"Is that the only word in your vocabulary?" Eve asked softly, tilting her head with a smile.

Her voice. It had changed. It used to be soft, gentle just like she was. Though her tone quality had stayed very much the same, her pitch was lower, her voice deeper and more mature-sounding. 

"Fiona?" he said again, looking at her, taking the sight of her in.

Eve leaned back in her seat with a shrug. "Apparently so," she answered her own question. Then she looked at him again, a hint of sympathy in her eyes. "I must really look like her."

Jonas squinted, confused at her statement. What did she mean? He opened his mouth to ask her when she held up a hand, shushing him.

"Don't talk now; you're too weak. You've got a half-healed twisted ankle, half-scabbed knees..." Eve shook her head. "You're lucky you made it through this snow without catching pneumonia or hypothermia."

The words were unfamiliar to him. He could only stare at her blankly.

She looked at him, looking at her and suddenly felt rather shy. He had the stare that made her uneasy. He wasn't looking at her evilly by any means but he gazed her with his eyes, every emotion possible showing through. Confusion, recognition, relief, disbelief....

"Um... my name's Eve. Do you remember anything?" she asked him warily, setting the cloth back in the bowl of hot water beside her on the night table.

Before he had the chance to answer, the door to the room opened, making both thirteen-year-olds look to the entrance. In the doorway stood Diana, her hand still on the doorknob, her other hand gripped rather tightly around a baby blanket.

Gabriel's blanket.

She gripped the furry cloth so hard that Eve could have sworn her knuckles were turning white. Worried, she stood from her chair. 

"Diana? Something wrong?" she questioned.

Her older sister took a moment to look down at the blue softness in her hand before returning her gaze to Eve. Her eyes held something Eve had never seen before.

Diana's stare traveled to Jonas. He was awake and staring back at her, his expression concerned as he saw what she was holding.

"Gabriel," he said suddenly.

Diana arched an eyebrow. "Is that his name?"

After a moment, Jonas nodded as best he could, lying down and facing sideways.

Again, Diana looked to the blanket in her hands and for the first time Eve saw what her older sister was actually staring so intently at. She had folded it so that the corner could be seen; on it, a sewn patch depicting a symbol. Silently, Diana looked to Jonas again.

"He's doing fine." A pause. "Are you well enough to walk?"

Jonas slowly nodded again, his eyes flickering to Eve for a brief moment.

Diana nodded. "Good," she replied shortly. Eve narrowed an eye in confusion. Diana removed her hand from the doorknob and ran it lightly over the patch. Then she looked to Jonas. "We have much to discuss."

***********************************

A/N#2: Well! What do you think? 


	2. Eve

A/N: If you're confused by the story so far, just tell me. It'll clear out, I promise. ^_^

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"He's from the community."

"... Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about something like this?"

Peter stopped, considering his fiancée's question. It was true; she wouldn't joke about the community or their lives before coming to Luminus. It was a still a sensitive subject after thirteen years. The idea seemed unreal.

When she had called him over an hour earlier she had sounded tense. Not knowing what to expect he had trudged out and walked the short distance to her house, not bothering to warm up the car if he could bare the cold for five minutes. She had answered the door with a solemn face and led him silently to the den where they sat opposite the coffee table.

And then she'd told him. 

Silently, Diana reached for the soft baby blanket beside her and held it in her hands. "I was training to be a Nurturer. Remember?"

Peter nodded slowly.

"Every blanket in the Nurturing Center had this patch sewn on it. Look," she said, handing the folded cover to him.

Eyebrows knitting, Peter ran his hand lightly over the patch. It read 'Nurturing Center' in yellow block letters against a navy blue circle. The memory made him shift. It was true. He had volunteered at the Center often enough to recognize the community's patch.

"His eyes?" Peter asked, looking back up to Diana. It was the one trait that had distinguished them from everyone else in the community; the one trait that gave them truth. Light eyes. 

The twenty-four year old glanced out the archway of the den and into the hallway. "Blue," she answered quietly. "Like me."

Peter nodded to himself and looked back down to the blanket in his hands. "We have to talk to him when he wakes up."

"Eve went in there about twenty minutes ago. He should be up by now." Diana looked once again down the hall at his closed door. "I'll be right back."

Peter nodded.

************************************

"We have much to discuss."

Having said what she needed to say, Diana turned and strode out into the hall again, leaving Jonas and Eve to stare blankly at each other.

"Here," she said finally, tentatively reaching for the blanket that covered his still form. Catching on, he pushed the comforter away and attempted to sit up. He didn't find anything odd about the situation until she reached out and grasped his arm to steady him.

Human touch. It was a wondrous thing. He had been deprived of it too long. There was The Giver, the person he missed the most, the only person who had truly opened his eyes to the wonders that humans could achieve and feel.

He stared at her hand on his arm, vaguely noticing that her nails were covered with some sort of deep red color... what was the word for it?

'Burgundy,' he thought. It wasn't quite so intense as the stereotypical color but more subdued. He pushed the thought from his mind as he sat up a bit more, her grasp tightening.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, noticing him staring at her hand like it was the first time he had ever been touched. She had no idea how close she was to the truth.

Jonas blinked and shook his head at her. "Um, nothing. Where am I?"

Eve pulled him forward a bit and moved out of the way so he could swing his legs down to the floor. "You're in Luminus. You knocked on our door and collapsed right afterward."

Jonas blinked. "I remember," he said, again wondering why the girl helping him was the exact image of Fiona. But there was one exception....

"What's your name?" Eve said, watching his every movement. He could falter at any second.

"Jonas." A pause. "And you're Eve?"

She nodded, red hair falling forward. He caught a faint scent from her then and stared at her hair intently. He could almost identify it from his memories.

'Lilac,' he thought, amused at the way the words were coming to him as he recognized the surrounding world. 

He braced both feet on the floor and was mildly shocked when Eve moved her hand from his arm and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, her free hand grasping his left one. He was mesmerized and yet it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for her to come closer, help him up with her hands.

And yet he found it a beautiful thing. This world was his memories come to life.

"Here, can you stand?" Eve questioned, knocking him out of his thoughts. 

The way she held his hand, intertwining their fingers, was making Jonas take sharper breaths. Something stirred within him. He hadn't felt that way since...

"I think so," he replied, again pushing his thoughts aside. With some effort he pushed slowly off the bed, Eve keeping her arm firm around his shoulders. But even when he stood somewhat straighter, she still didn't let him go. Slowly they walked together toward the door and out into the hallway.

When they reached the den, Peter stood along with Diana, and they watched as Jonas settled into a forest green armchair. 

Eve took the sofa across from him and stared up at her sister and soon-to-be brother in law in silent question. She knew something was going on--neither of them had ever had such serious expressions on their faces. They both sat back down together on the couch.

"Where's Gabriel?" Jonas asked suddenly.

Diana smiled briefly and nodded toward the hallway. "Sleeping in my room. He's fine. It's you I want to know about. What's your name?"

"... Jonas."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Last name?"

His brow creased. Another unfamiliar term.

"Of course. You wouldn't know your last name because you don't have one," Diana went on. She paused before continuing. "... Because you were brought up in a world where last names didn't matter."

Jonas slightly shook his head. "Who are you?"

The brunette looked to her fiancé briefly before turning back to the bewildered boy. "My name's Diana, and this is my fiancé Peter." She took a long, deep breath. "And we know where you came from... Receiver of Memory."

Jonas blinked and stared hard at her. Diana's gaze never faltered as she met his questioning blue eyes. 

"Wh--, ho--" For the first time in his life he had difficulty forming a sentence.

"Eve," Diana said suddenly, her voice commanding though not harsh. "This involves you too... more than you know." She stood with a sigh and glanced at Peter, who had mysteriously kept silent throughout the event.

"Jonas, go with Peter. I promise everything will be explained." Diana then turned to Eve, her sister, her best friend... "Eve, come with me."

Silently, confused as ever, the teenagers followed their elders out separate ways but not before looking back at each other one last time.

*********************************************************

"She was assigned to be a Nurturer at the Ceremony of Twelve. And she was happy about it. I remember she even held my hand--of course, in that world it was considered rude... we thought it was the best thing though. Got us a few looks but we were happy. I myself had been assigned the Instructor of Fours."

"You've probably noticed that I have green eyes and Diana, blue. We were the unique ones in the community, like you probably were with your light eyes. That was before we knew colors existed but we knew dark from light. And we had light eyes compared to everyone else. That was the key to us knowing that something else existed."

"We knew about Receivers of Memory, but the committee must have overlooked our light-eyed selves. Diana and I, we didn't have the gift but we had the potential. We had the inclination that something else existed out there. We couldn't understand it at first but after training one day she came to me and suddenly had the full intention to understand the outside world."

"You know about release, don't you?"

Jonas blinked at the question, caught by surprise at Peter's bluntness. It was the most he had heard the man say and he eventually understood that he was the listener, Peter, the speaker. 

The older man had lead him to the dining room where he had pointed to a seat and situated himself directly across from Jonas. And then the story had come out... at least until he questioned him about the subject Jonas was still sensitive about.

"Yes," he answered quietly.

"And apparently that day Diana learned about it too. She was enraged."

"So was I," Jonas stated off-handedly, remembering the way he had cried after watching his father on tape. The image would never leave him.

Peter nodded. "It's terrible, I know. Diana couldn't stop crying. She just wanted to get out the community so badly, Jonas. It eventually became something that she believed she could pull off safely. I knew better, warned her about the consequences. I wanted to truly live too, but I wasn't as brave. In comparison to her anyway."

Jonas watched as Peter shifted, his eyes suddenly downcast. "Diana and I... we always threw away the pill." He looked back up to the Receiver with a small smirk. "I loved her. I still do; that's why I'm marrying her in three months."

A sudden flash of a red-haired lass flickered in Jonas's conscious. 

"But that's another story. We knew there was something between us, though we never understood it until we left the community... left the world that wouldn't let us feel anything."

Jonas listened, dazed and bewildered. He couldn't believe that people from the community, the very world he had lived in, had actually rebelled. And they weren't receivers but they were light-eyed... potential, Peter had called it.

"I knew Diana was going to break one day. It was in April, and it was her turn to watch the release of a twin." 

Jonas tensed.

Peter shook his head, stared at the table. "She couldn't do it. She WOULDN'T. Before the Nurturer had even taken out the needle she...."

Jonas leaned forward, grasping onto every word as if they might have been taken from him the next instant. "She what?" he said, but there was barely any breath behind the words.

"... She went over the corner and pulled the plug from the camera. Then they wouldn't have any real evidence if they ever decided to watch the tapes. She grabbed the scale off the table and... knocked him out cold."

Jonas blinked and leaned back in fascination. Hitting was an entirely different tune from touching, language precision, and the various "rules" of the community. Fighting... the word had never had much meaning to him. He couldn't even comprehend the emotions needed to want to hit someone.

And yet he had total understanding of why Diana had done what she had. His conflicting thoughts made him shift in his seat.

"And she took a twin."

The world seemed to tilt beneath Jonas and he was sure that if he hadn't been sitting he would have collapsed again. _No... no, it couldn't be..._

"She knew that they would have let one twin live if she escaped with the other. She took the baby, practically ran to my house and begged me to go right then and there. I was never more scared in my entire life... but I looked at her, then at the baby in her arms. I knew I wanted to live with the both of them for the rest of my life."

"It was the smartest decision I ever made. We left... crossed that bridge that you probably did too... past the other communities... past all human existence."

"At least for a few weeks. We made it to Luminus, probably the exact same way you did, Jonas. And the baby that Diana took--she survived."

Jonas swallowed. _No, no, don't say it--_

"Eve."

It was the last puzzle piece and it had finally been wedged into place in the great scheme of things. 

Jonas stared at him, breaths shallow, eyes wide, mind going over so many memories. So many times he had looked at Fiona... so few times he had seen Eve... 

He exhaled loudly and his elbows landed on the table as he buried his face in his hands. "No... no...."

Peter tilted his head and met the younger boy's eye level. "Jonas? What's wrong?"

The brown-haired boy looked up again, his face twisted in an expression that couldn't be defined in words. Once again, he could only find the strength to say that name... _her_ name.
    
    "Fiona."

**************************************

A/N#2: AAHH! Cliffhanger! Sorry but I couldn't resist. ^_^ If you're confused, just stay with me. It'll clear out, as I've said before.

Leave me a review. ^_^


	3. The Secret Sister

A/N: There's not really that much to clarify now that the background is starting to come out.  I know it seems as if this story progressing too fast but I'm doing it for reason.  You'll see what I mean by the end of the fic (which will be roughly seventeen chapters more.)

WARNING: This first scene only hits you if you are previously in a very mellow mood.  If you aren't calm and sedate at this very moment, you will think that this chapter is a pile of emotional ****.  Therefore, for the increased enjoyment of reading, I suggest you become mellow and quiet.  Thank you for your time and attention.  ^_^

**

"What's this all about?" Eve questioned as she entered the study.

Diana threw a glance over her shoulder before shutting the door.  She resisted the urge to sigh.  This story… she had never told anyone except their adoptive mother in Luminus and in turn, she had never told anyone.  The elderly woman was simple in her ways, accepting.  For that much Diana was thankful.

But it was different this time.  The story was being revealed to Eve, the tiny keystone that had done nothing to bring about her fate.  And it wasn't going to be easy telling it.

Silently, Diana walked over to the desk and sat behind it, motioning for her younger sister to take the armchair.  When the teenager had complied, Diana leaned forward and clasped her hands together.

"What's your favorite movie?"

Eve blinked, her eyebrows knitting.  "What?" she rasped out, surprised and a bit bewildered at the question.  It was the last thing she had been expecting her older sister to say.

"What's your favorite movie?" Diana repeated, this time saying it slower and with more articulation.  She knew Eve fully understood English but it was a test of attention.

The thirteen-year-old squinted one eye.  "What does that have to do anything?"

"Just answer," Diana said, bracing her hands flat on the desk.

Surprised and bit intimidated, Eve leaned back in the armchair as if she could sink into it and disappear.  What was her favorite movie?  Frankly, she was beginning to wonder what her sister had been smoking.

"Pleasantville," she answered quietly, her artificial blue eyes blinking in confusion.  "You know that."

Diana nodded, looking off.  "That's why I asked."  She became utterly silent after a moment.  Her hands joined again, her thumbs twiddling.  "… What if--"

She cut off, sighing.  After a moment, she tried again.  "What if I told you that in some weird, mysterious way… it was true?"

Eve raised both eyebrows critically.  "True?"

"There is a world, Eve—an organized utopia that lies just over the Reilyn Mountains.  The scary thing is that is only takes a week to get to… and that's by foot."

"Scary?" Eve echoed.

"It's a heavenly hell," Diana continued, momentarily glancing out the large Victorian window.  "To understand why you and me both are here, in Luminus, you have to understand the community."

"Community," the teenager echoed a second time, her voice flat, clearly not understanding the meaning.

"The community…" Diana repeated, thinking.  "I have to start with how it exists."

For lack of better understanding, Eve simply nodded.

"It's more than one, really.  I think there are about ten…" Diana squinted.  "Anyhow, there are… um… communities over the Reilyn Mountains that aren't considered a part of Trajan.  Consider them a completely different race of people.  They're born into their worlds without emotions, pains, sufferings--"

"That's impossible," Eve interjected.

"We live in the 2146, Eve. Anything is possible," Diana countered.  "Those people have been genetically altered to be walking batteries.  You can't think, you don't eve know what the world outside of you consists of.  You can't even grasp the concept of something else existing other than the community and the surrounding cities.  There also aren't any stores.  You don't purchase anything in the community because it's all provided for you at the December Ceremony."

Eve raised an eyebrow.

Diana sighed.  It was coming back, but it was too much to explain in one sitting.  You simply had to live there to know.  "If you like the idea of organized paradise, then that's what the community was.  They assigned and organized things to meet everybody's needs.  In theory it's a heroic effort.  But there's no way anything could be perfect."

"Hold on," the teenager said, holding up a hand.  "You're trying to tell me that these people created a world where everything was planned out for their entire life?"

Diana considered and then nodded.

Eve squinted an eye in confusion.  "How?"

"The December Ceremony.  It was like the unemployment office," Diana answered shortly, swallowing an amused laugh.  Not that anything was funny at the moment… just amusing.  "They go by the same calendar; 24 hours in a day, 12 months a year and so on.  Each December, each child under twelve was celebrated and called individually to receive various gifts for aging another year.  It was like that day was a common birthday for all children with similar ages.  They were called Sixes, Sevens, and Elevens—you get my point."

"So they were all born on the same day?"

"No, that was just the ceremony.  The majority of the people in the community didn't know their real birthday.  It doesn't matter to them the way it matters to us here, in the real world.  That's because everyone is the same.  No one has any opinion of anything, no one says anything offensive or anything that goes against the… government, I guess you could call it.  Like I said, in theory it would seem like a great idea for humans to succeed and get along with each other."

"The important age was twelve.  In the December Ceremony, if you were turning twelve it was a turning point in your life because you assigned a job in the community.  You would have to keep that job until the day you died."

Eve blinked again, mesmerized.  She was fully catching on to the idea of the community but she couldn't help but wonder…

"What does that have to do with what's happening right now?" she said, momentarily thinking of Jonas.

Diana leaned forward.  "Jonas is from the community."

Eve's jaw slightly dropped.

"There was one job in the community that differed from everything else.  Jonas was the Receiver of Memory for his community."

"Receiver," Eve repeated, blank yet again.

"One person selected at any given time in the community's history to carry the memories… memories of the past and of the real world, like here where we live."  Diana looked to the door.  "Something makes me think Jonas escaped because he knew the truth.  He knew the world that existed outside of the communities, and he knew the emotions that were genetically disabled in everyone else in his world, like love and hate.  And probably pain."

Eve shook her head.  "So why are you telling me this now?  How long have you known?"

Now came the hard part.  Diana shifted and resisted another sigh.  Sighing wouldn't help anything, not at this point.  Slowly, she lifted her eyes to look her sister in the eye.  "… We used to live there, Eve."

Silence.  Not even a gasp.  You could have heard a pin drop.

Diana bit her lower lip.  "… When I was twelve, I was assigned to be a Nurturer.  They take care of the newborns to be presented to certain families at each December Ceremony.  I should also tell you that twins don't exist in the communities.  At first they make everyone think that they just go off and are received by someone from Elsewhere."

Eve tilted her head.  Still, she said nothing.

Diana stared at the desk, her memory stabbing her heart.  She inhaled unevenly.  "… They kill them, Eve."

Unconsciously, the teenager's hand rose slowly to cover her slightly open mouth.

Diana closed her eyes.  "April 12th, 2133… it was my day to watch the release of a twin."

A strained pause.

"I ran."  She talked faster now, trying to explain.  "I knew they would let the other one live if I took one and if I didn't I would have had to watch one of them die…"

Eve closed her eyes.

"I was only twelve, Eve, but I knew there had to be more to life than what existed in the community.  I couldn't stand there and watch them kill that baby…" Diana shook her head.  "And Peter… love didn't exist in that world, but we were rebels.  We were everything that the genetic scientists had failed at accomplishing.  He escaped with me."  She heaved another breath.  "He escaped with _us_."

The world halted.  Time stopped.

_He escaped with us._

_I knew they would let the other one live if I took one…_

_If I took one…_

Eve squeezed her eyes shut and slowly shook her head.  She was a twin.  Another thirteen-year-old girl was living and breathing on the other side of the Reilyn Mountains… another girl with the same red hair, the same natural brown eyes…

Her eyes flew open.

Diana continued after a moment's silence.  Her voice was softer now.  "I looked on the naming list the day before.  The twin they were going to let live…"

Eve stared intently at her.  She had to hear it for it to be true.  She _needed_ to hear it.

"They named her Fiona."

Once again, Eve's hand covered her mouth, her eyes closing.  She straightened in her seat and looked off, thinking.  The world had never seemed so small.  

"Fiona," she whispered, the name suddenly meaning so much more.  She nodded slowly before looking back up at Diana.

"I'm not your real sister," was the answer.

Eve stood roughly from her chair and paced the carpet, her head shaking.  "Oh god…"

"Eve?  What's wrong?" Diana leaned forward.

The fiery redhead turned.  "What's wrong?  You've lied to me for the past thirteen years and you have the nerve to ask me what's wrong?"

"Would you rather I let you die back there?"

The words hung thickly in the air.  Eve looked away.

"I saved you, Eve.  I took you away from the world that would have robbed you of every emotion you could have ever felt for anyone," Diana declared, standing as well.

Eve faced her.  "If Jonas had never come here, would you still have told me?"

"That is beside the point," Diana bit out.

"Then what IS the point?" Eve fired back.  "My identical twin has been living on the other side of the mountains, in Jonas' community and you just coincidentally forgot to tell me that every time I asked why you and I look nothing alike?"

"You had a right to know about Fiona and I know that.  I promised myself that I would tell you everything if it was the right time and you were old enough to understand why I did what I did.  And now I have—that is no reason to point blame at me for lying.  The truth hurts," Diana challenged, her hands braced on the desk.

Eve shook her head.  "I should have known something was up.  He kept calling me Fiona."

"What?"

Eve faced her.  "Jonas… when I answered the door, before he fainted into me, he said 'Fiona'."

Diana squinted.

"And when he woke up he called me that again."  Eve shook her head, piecing the puzzle in her mind.  "He's from the community and we're the same age so he knew Fiona… and since we look exactly the same, that's why he kept calling me by her name…"

Eve exhaled uneasily.  "He thought I was her."

A long silence followed, during which Diana moved from behind the desk and toward the unsteady teenager.

"Eve," she said, jarring the younger girl out of her thoughts.  "Knowledge is dangerous."

Eve lifted her eyes.

"People like us—you, me, Peter, and Jonas—what sets us apart from everyone else is the fact that we know what kinds of worlds exist on this earth, specifically the one that's over the mountains.  The communities don't know anything about the real world where we are, just like no one here knows that a part of Trajan is genetically engineered.  And we can never tell ANYONE what we know."

Eve swallowed.

"I didn't tell you this to put you in danger.  You needed to know and I needed to say it after all these years."  Carefully, Diana lifted a hand and placed it gently on her sister's shoulder.  "We're safe here, Eve.  But should you ever tell anyone what you know and that information gets in the wrong hands, it is our lives they go after."

After a few moments, the redhead raised her hand and set it gently on Diana's.  She nodded slowly.  "I understand," she said quietly.

Diana released her hold.  "You need to talk to Jonas."

Again, the redhead nodded.  _Jonas_… he had known her twin sister, Fiona.

Silently, they made their way out of the study.

**

He paused once he reached the hallway.  She stood there, her hands clasped, her expression blank and passive.  Slowly, he turned to face her.

"Jonas," she said softly, sounding as if she were trying to decipher the meaning of it.

He took a long moment to simply stare at her, the very being who shared blood with Fiona, his childhood friend.  He thought he had left that world behind him forever and yet, even after braving through the forest for days and days he came to his destination only to find a link to his old world.

He had told Peter about knowing Fiona, the twin Diana had left lying on the bed.  The older man had shaken his head and said, "It's a small world, Jonas."

And so it was.

Wordlessly, Eve motioned with one hand to the empty den.  He walked up to her, stopping only a foot or so away.  Then, she moved, leaving him standing there as she filed into the room.  Jonas blinked and heaved a breath before following her. 

**

"What was she like?"

Jonas lifted his gaze to Eve, his expression critical.  "Fiona?"

The twin nodded.

The Receiver tilted his head and reached for the cup of hot cocoa in front of him.  Eve had been good enough to prepare a small tray of sweets alongside the hot drink.  Good food just seemed to make the situation lighter.

"She was…" he smiled to himself. "Kind."

Eve smiled.

"Generous, caring, always willing to help someone, especially the Old."  Jonas lifted his eyes to the girl across the coffee table from him, suddenly quieting.  After a moment's remembrance, he stared into the depths of his hot chocolate.  "But… unable to truly love."  He blinked.  "Like everyone there."

Eve crossed her arms, lightly holding her left triceps in her right hand.  Her eyes held sympathy.

"You were fond of her?" she dared ask.  At first the relationship between them had seemed a close friendship.  She was suddenly seeing more to it once Jonas had spoken on the subject.

Yet, he only looked away when she asked, staring at the crackling fire in the hearth.  "I would have liked to think so.  But given the circumstances…"

Eve tilted her head, waiting.

"It just wasn't meant to be."

The room seemed smaller at that point.  Eve bit her lip nervously, clearly seeing that he wasn't comfortable talking about… her.  Fiona.  And there were other questions she wanted answers to.

"Did they really have no emotions?" she asked, considering it a safe question.

"They knew annoyance and panic.  That was probably the most drastic it became."

Eve laughed, her chuckles sounding so familiar to him.  She became quiet then, sighing shortly.  "But they didn't know anything about us?"

Jonas raised an eyebrow.  "Hardly.  They had a concept of Elsewhere but they never dwelled on it.  They just didn't have the ability to try and think beyond what had always been taught."

"But you did," Eve inserted.

"It didn't come until I was twelve.  Just last year…" he gazed down at the floor.  "It's funny, you know.  Twelve years and I still saw myself as being so young.  And then in just one year I felt like I'd lived a hundred years."

"Memories," Eve said suddenly, more to herself than him.  "'What kind of memories did you receive?  And from whom?"

Jonas stared at the plate of cookies before him.  "The Giver.  It's passed down from one person and one person only."  Eve nodded slowly, thinking.  

"The first sign of it for me was color," he continued, taking a drink.

"Color?" Eve echoed, confused.

Jonas froze.  The real world saw colors… didn't they?

"I began seeing them a month before the December Ceremony," he explained, puzzled at her own puzzled expression.

Eve squinted.  "Jonas, everybody sees colors."

So that was it.  Now he was the odd one.  He smiled at her.  "Let's just say we were REALLY robbed of any opinion."

Eve stared at him.  "You couldn't see colors up until last year?"

The boy shook his head.

"What about everyone else in the community?"

"All they see is gray," he answered simply.

Eve shook her head, almost laughing.  "I need to let you see Pleasantville one day.  This is oddly that movie come to life."

"Movie?" Jonas echoed.

Eve bit her lip.  Oh boy.  It was going to be fun teaching a genetically altered human being what the real world had in store for him.  In turn, she was going to learn about the world her very own sister had grown up in and was still trapped inside.  They would learn from each other, but in the end, it was her knowledge that counted.  Jonas had escaped here and would have to adjust to the ways HERE.

She hugged her knees.  "Maybe I should tell you some things about Trajan."

**

A/N#2:  Whoo!  That was really hard for me to write, for some odd, strange reason.  Oh yeah, and since Lois Lowry never actually defines what Elsewhere is, I had to make up a name for it.  Look at it this way:  Trajan is the future Maryland, USA (hey, that's where I live and it's my fic so that's where I'm putting them.)

Now, why did Maryland change its name by the year 2146?  USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!  And just a fun fact to know and tell: Trajan was the name of the first of Rome's Five Good Emperors.  History class.  ^_^


	4. Humanity and History

A/N: Sadly, people, it looks like I'm losing readers on this story.  L  Either that or you aren't reviewing!!  

*************************************

"School?" Diana echoed unbelievingly.

"School," Eve confirmed, nodding.

Jonas looked from one to the other, somewhat offended.  "Something wrong with that?" he dared ask.

The women exchanged glances in that way that always made him feel so inexperienced.  They had done it numerous times now and his sense of humor was quickly diminishing.  

"It's just that…" Diana started, motioning vaguely with her hands.  "Well… it was only a week ago you came to our front door with a smidge of hypothermia.  Not even!  Just five days."

He gave her a look that plainly said, "So?"

"Schooling here is very different from the community," Diana explained, eyeing Eve for support.  The other thirteen-year-old shifted her footing uneasily.  

"I wouldn't know," was her answer.  "I've never been to the community."

"Trust me, Jonas," Diana said, turning back to the young man in front of her.  "Schooling… and everything, actually, might be less of a shock if you wait the year out and take time to learn some things about the real world.  Lord knows it took me a long time to adjust."

Jonas willfully took a step forward.  "Please, Diana, you know what it's like to be exposed to all these great differences and opportunities for someone.  You can't hide me for forever."

Eve looked to her sister with a stare that said, "He's got a point."  
The brunette sighed.  "… Yes, you're just a sponge ready to absorb the knowledge, eh?"

"What?"

"Jonas, there's more to the real world than just the freedom to live." Diana turned to Eve with a wave of her hand.  "Ask anyone—they'll tell you that for every good thing there is here, there's a bad to match it.  The community was a world built entirely on some twisted idea of perfection and with the mindset of someone coming here from there, the impact can be pretty shocking."

"There's nothing I can't take," he argued back, surprising both women.  "Have you forgotten?  I was the Receiver."

"According to what Eve tells me, you still have a lot to learn," Diana answered smoothly.

The redhead held both hands up.  "What are you doing bringing me into this?"

Jonas determinedly stood his ground.  "So let me learn then," he said, once again referring to school.

Diana sighed, leaning back in her seat.  "Jonas, I'm not trying to hide you from anything.  You came to the real world to learn and I would be the last to stop you, but it's much too soon.  You need to know more about Trajan, about America in general before you start living like everyone else here.  Every other eighth grader has a thirteen year head start on you."

"Eighth grader?" he echoed.

"See?  There's my argument," Diana said, eyebrow raised.

Eve glanced nervously from one to the other.  She could understand why Jonas would want to get into school early on.  His thirst for knowledge never ceased to amaze her, even if she had only known him five days.  It didn't matter the time.  In those few days her predictable, easygoing life had taken a turn for the worse and best.  For one, she had a sister, a TWIN sister at that, who was still trapped inside the world Eve herself had been born into and had been lucky enough to be rescued from.  For two, their household had two new members, one of which was a one-year-old Eve had already taken a liking to.  For three, Jonas was like no other person she had ever met.  His determination, his character and compassion—it was something she hadn't seen in anyone in a long time.

Which was why she had agreed to accompany him in telling Diana he wanted to start school the coming semester.  She knew it was a futile attempt because Diana was very considerate when it came to Jonas.  She figured it must have been the protective side coming out—after all, they had known the confines of the same world… the community.  Suddenly, the word had more meaning to Eve.

"I'm not doubting your ability in certain fields like math and science.  I'm sure you'd fit right in there," Diana continued, never once breaking eye contact.  Jonas slightly raised an eyebrow, amused.

Still, she couldn't resist the temptation.  "Solve for x if 3x+5=26."

"Seven," Jonas answered almost automatically.  Eve blinked.

"How do you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom?" Diana fired.

"Mass number less the protons," he replied easily.  Eve now stared at him with her jaw slightly open.

Diana crossed her arms.  "All right, now who was the first president of the United States?"

Jonas squinted in confusion at her.

"And what was Shakespeare's most famous tragedy?"

Again, she received the most puzzled of expressions from the teenager. 

"And what's philosophy?  Socrates?  Plato?  Aristotle?" Diana continued, baiting him in his un-intelligence.  

Silence.

"My point exactly," she said, getting up from her seat on the couch and moving into the kitchen.  Belatedly the two young teenagers followed her and watched as she retrieved an apple from the refrigerator.  She sat unceremoniously on one of the stools at the counter and Jonas and Eve followed, sitting across the bar from her.

"I know how smart you must be in math and science.  The community specifically trains their instructors and teachers in those fields because they're manmade fields.  Counting didn't exist when the world began, whenever that was, and physical science is how man applies the power of nature.  All the criteria in those studies can be taught in any world and understood without confusion."

"But then there's humanity to think about," Diana continued, shrugging.  "I had a hard time catching up on American history, let alone world history.  And then there are the worldly things that everyone knows about by default like… what's the capital of England?  Jonas, what do you think you can accomplish by going to school and trying to learn things in classes that you've never taken before and have absolutely no concept of?  There are a lot of things that will hit you harder than you expect and I'm thinking history class is among those."

"Or gym, or art class, or English--" Eve cut off as she noticed the stare she was receiving from both of them.

"Oh, I'm sure you have the English language down, as well as grammar and spelling but English has another entirely different branch to it," Diana interjected.  "While you may have language precision, you don't have the literary knowledge to sit in an eight grade classroom and understand everything that's going on.  Like what I asked you a moment ago, for instance.  Do you have any idea who Shakespeare is, much less his most famous tragedy?"

"Sixteenth century writer, married to a woman nine years his senior, and the father of twins—most famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet," Eve said curtly, smiling at Jonas.  He couldn't help but laugh at her.

Diana waited for the chuckles to subside before speaking again.  "… My point is, Jonas, I understand your need to get out and see the world, be a part of it and finally live free of rules and generic relationships with people, but it's too soon.  You have about seventy more years to do that, Jonas.  Starting school after Christmas vacation is not the smartest move.  You need time to adjust.  You may know more than I did when I came, but it makes you no different in experience.  Sometimes, you just have to let things sink in."

Eve turned to her sister.  "Come on, Diana.  Just let him try it out," she said, noticing the surprised look on Jonas' face.  She hadn't done so much as give her opinion on him wanting to attend middle school with her but now she saw his side with more understanding.  She imagined Fiona coming in much the same state, wanting to learn about the wonderful world that had been taken from her.  

"It's not like he would have trouble in math and science, just like you said.  He could probably help me in Algebra, if anything.  English and history are another story entirely but I could help him.  There ARE two weeks of Christmas vacation left."

Diana raised an eyebrow critically.

"And I kept all my notes from sixth grade on.  It's not like there was a lot of history being taught in elementary school anyway, so he wouldn't be THAT far behind.  I could help him, really," Eve declared, shooting her glance at Jonas with an encouraging smile.

Diana slowly shook her head as she sighed.  Teenagers these days.  So determined to prove their elders wrong.  

"I'm willing to bet you that half the eighth grade doesn't know what they should at this age.  Jonas would fit in the honor classes perfectly," Eve continued.  By now Jonas was staring blankly at her, amazed at how she was pulling out her reasons as if she had been compiling them the entire time.

Diana drummed her nails on the countertop, making both teenagers nervous.  "Are you REALLY willing to teach him everything he needs to know to pick up in English and history class when Christmas break is over?"

"Yes," Eve replied simply.  Jonas had to admire her resolve.  He rarely saw that brazenness in the community and to see someone, one of his former best friend's twin sister, no less, with it brought a smile to his lips.  The fast five days with her had been somewhat memory haunting but strangely comforting.  He saw Fiona every time he looked at her, a constant reminder of what could have been and even possibly what would have been.  Yet, in its irony, he found solace in seeing her every morning eating breakfast beside him at the table and every night sitting in front of the TV watching shows depicting situations and events he had yet to experience.  She represented the hope in him that his friends had finally… _lived_.

Diana seemed to consider her sister's suggestion.  She went as far as thinking about what information the school needed for a new student to enroll before asking them one last vital question.

"Then what do you suggest we do about paperwork?"

The term held no meaning for the Y chromosome holder, therefore he simply looked to Eve, who suddenly bit her lower lip in momentary defeat.  Warily, she glanced at Jonas.  "Do I remember you saying you don't have a last name?"

"Exactly my point," Diana said, turning to Jonas.  "School isn't just a building you can walk into and expect to be able to sit in a classroom and suddenly learn.  The government would be after your neck."

Jonas squinted.  "What are you trying to say?"

"You know the Hall of Open and Closed Records?" Diana questioned, trying to draw a parallel he would be able to understand.  He nodded slowly.  "Well, it's almost like that.  You can't just pop up on the school attendance list and all of the sudden everything's hunky dory.  They need a full explanation of where you came from, your age, your birthday, your parents names, your reason for enrolling in the first place…" Diana paused, noticing the distant look in his eyes.  "All that information is buried in your past, Jonas.  We can't say you escaped from a genetically engineered area of Trajan."

The older woman had them both there.

"If you wait the school year out and give me six months to talk to the right people, I can get you and Gabriel the papers that allow you both to be a citizen without question and the adoption papers."

"Adoption?" both teenagers echoed.

"Well how else are you going to explain Jonas staying with us?" Diana said, turning and tossing her finished apple in the waiting trash.  It went in with a loud _thunk_.  She turned back around with a raised eyebrow.  "Unless you were planning on staying elsewhere."

"Um… if it's not an inconvenience--" Jonas started.

"Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't want you anywhere else.  I know how much I wanted someone who understood the world I had just come from and how hard it was to adjust.  I wouldn't ever put anyone through what Peter and I experienced.  Especially considering you have a one-year-old child with you."

Jonas backed down as he saw her reasoning.  It was true.  He had been lucky enough to encounter those who knew his situation, those who were ironically linked to him through Fiona.  He honestly didn't know how he would have handled telling others where he had come from.

The twenty-four-year-old sighed.  "… Well, like I said, I'm not saying you aren't academically smart enough to go to middle school.  And maybe you aren't quite worldly enough yet but maybe you'll adjust faster than I did because of your memories.  The point is that living in America is a headache of paperwork and we would have to think about where you came from and all those inevitable questions."

"Not to mention last names," Eve contributed.  Then, suddenly, she tilted her head at Diana.  "So technically, I never had a last name either?"

The brunette shook her head. 

Eve leaned back.  "But we don't have Mom's last name because she adopted us."

Diana shrugged with a small smile.  "Well… that's another story entirely.  Maybe I'll tell it to you one day."  She saw the flicker of curiosity in the redhead and hastily jumped subjects to avoid questioning.  "But Jonas, like I was saying, we have to give you a new identity, practically.  And a new past.  I can't get all those papers within the next two weeks in time for you to go to school."

"You can't, but I can," came a deep voice.

All three turned from the counter to see Peter's familiar form come through the kitchen door.  A breath of cold winter air followed him in but it was quickly neutralized by central heating.  Eve jumped up reflexively to take his coat from him as he handed it to her in a jumble with his scarf.  Jonas momentarily wondered at her mannerisms.  She did a lot of little things that uniquely fit her personality.  He had noticed a few in the past five days.  One, she always sat with one leg folded underneath the other as the unfolded leg swung freely, just as she had been sitting a moment ago.  Secondly, and probably the one that discouraged Jonas more, was the fact that she always twisted her hair up in a bun at the crown of her head.  The only time he had seen her with her hair down was the night he had first come and he couldn't help but like it better that way.  She looked more carefree and laidback.

"Hey everyone," the older man said, coming toward his fiancée with two folders in his hands.  He dropped one on the counter in front of Jonas.  "Merry Christmas."

Diana eyed him warily.  "What are you up to, Peter?"

"I talked to Daryl yesterday and he had some extras," her fiancé answered with a small grin.

The brunette leaned back in her seat, eyes wide.  "No…"

"Yes."

"You got the papers already!"

"You did?" 

Eve stood in the archway leading to the kitchen, having returned from her trip to the front hall to hang up Peter's coat.  Her eyes were glued to the manila folder set in front of Jonas.  Warily, the teenage boy reached for it with somewhat shaky hands and pulled out a sheaf of papers.  Eve wandered over and peered over his shoulder.  Her sudden closeness sent a whiff of some fragrant scent from her.  Jonas slightly shook his head and focused on the processed print.

"Who's Daryl?" he asked, looking up briefly.

"The same guy who got us into the U.S. with some paperwork.  He's not an official or anything.  Just a guy with a few connections and tricks up his sleeve," Peter answered.  Diana momentarily shook her head.  

"I actually wanted Jonas and Gabriel here legally, Peter.  Just to cut down on my paranoia," she told him, glaring daggers.  He shrugged.  "As far as anyone's concerned, those are legal.  Send them through any machine and they wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference between an official government document and that."

Eve blinked.  "So… does that mean our papers are fake too?"

After a moment's pause, both her sister and future brother-in-law nodded.

Her artificial blue eyes widened.  "… Wow…"

Jonas flipped a page and saw his name, or rather, his new name.  "Brendan Jonas Whitley?"

"First thing off the top of my head," Peter said, shrugging.  "You'll go by your middle name though."

"And lots of people do that," Diana assured.

Jonas squinted in slight confusion.  "But… why would I need two names?"

Eve leaned away from him and took her seat in her stool again.  "It's commonplace to have two names.  First, middle, then family name.  Trust me, majority of people have that."

Jonas flipped another page over and read various descriptions of himself, all printed neatly in the boxes.  Eyes: blue, hair: brown, height: 5'6"…. 

He scrolled down the information and landed on one blank box next to birthday.  He pointed to it, unaware that the three others in the room were watching his every movement.  

"I didn't want to fill in anything, 'cause, well, I didn't want to plan your entire identity," Peter answered, shifting.  "Did you ever know your real birthday?"

Jonas shook his head, now regretting it.  He had the memories of a single birthday being celebrated—suddenly he wished he knew the real date on which he came into the world.  

"The Hall of Open Records had it," Diana offered.

The teenager in front of her looked up a small smile and shook his head.  "I know, but I never thought I would need it.  Now look where I am."

"It's all right," Diana said quickly, holding up a hand.  "You could always just pick a random date."

Silence.

Eve glanced nervously from sister to brother in law to house mate.  

"But it wouldn't feel right," Jonas said finally, slightly frowning.  Suddenly, his eyes clouded with realization.  "Eve."

The redhead blinked, turning to look at him.  "Yes?" she said, on the edge of uneasy.

"When's your birthday?" he asked, looking back at her.

"April 11th."

Doing some calculations, Jonas tilted his head.  "Then my real birthday would have been roughly… April 18th."

The three looked back at him with blank expressions.  Eve momentarily squinted.  "How would you have known that just from knowing my birthday?"

"Fiona," he said finally, making everyone shift uneasily.  "… She, um… her number was eighteen and I was nineteen.  And if there are only fifty children born each year then that means between fifty babies, they're born roughly one week apart."

Silence answered him.

He squinted.  "Fifty-two weeks in a year, am I right?"

Looking from one to the other, all three slowly nodded, dumbfounded.

"So then," Jonas continued, "I was one of the earlier babies because I was nineteenth that year.  Since Fiona was eighteenth, it would make sense that I was born one week after her, right?"

Three nods from his audience.

"So then I was born one week after Eve too."

A shocked silence.

"And one week from April 11th is April 18th."

It was almost comical to watch the three in front of him glance at each other, baffled to no extent.  His reasoning made perfect sense and he knew it.  They knew it as well from the way they glanced at each other for any objection.  Funny, they found his problem solving a surprising thing.  It hadn't been that hard to figure out.

"He's right," Eve said finally, nodding and looking down to the blank boxes.

"Well… fill it in," Diana said simply, smiling and sliding a pen across the counter to him.

"So then…" Eve said, leaning on one elbow.  "Since Jonas has all this now… doesn't that mean school is a possibility?"

The teenagers smiled slyly at each other as Diana rolled her eyes good naturedly.  "All right!  All right!  Jonas, you can go to school with Eve after Christmas vacation, okay?"

"That is completely okay with me," he answered with a smile.  He knew Diana would have let him eventually.  Vaguely, he reminded himself to thank Peter later.

Diana shook her head.  "Okay, you youngsters, go check on Gabriel."

Grinning happily, they both shot out of their seats and out the archway leading to the bedrooms.  Diana turned to her fiancé with a smirk.  Slowly, she reached for the other manila folder he had been holding the entire time.  "Did Daryl put up a fight?"

"Nope.  Flat out twenty bucks," Peter answered, grabbing Eve's empty stool and sitting on it beside Diana.  "He's not one for questions, you know that."

Diana nodded, remembering the stout man with a mustache.  Where he had acquired perfect copies of government files,  Diana wasn't sure and didn't really want to know.  All that mattered now was that both Jonas and Gabriel were here, all paperwork aside and they could begin their new life in the right world now.  

"Gabriel Andrew Whitley…" she read the new name on the page.

"They're going to look enough alike to look like brothers," Peter said knowingly.  Diana elbowed him playfully.  "And how would you know?"

"I'm just good."

***********************************************************

"He has your eyes, you know."

Jonas looked over the crib at Eve to find her smiling at him.  "… Yeah, I guess.  My sister Lily thought that too."

Eve tilted her head.  "Sister?"

"Not biologically, of course.  Just the sister assigned to me."

He watched the redhead slowly shake her head, her blue eyes never leaving his.  "… What a world," she said quietly, obviously referring to the community.  Jonas watched her look back down at Gabriel, who was sleeping peacefully on his stomach in the crib.  She always became quiet when Fiona or the community came up in conversation.  He could understand her unease at the topics, however.  Had Fiona been on the closer side of the bed, Diana would have taken her and he would have grown up knowing Eve instead.  How fate was so close to changing the destinies of two twin sisters.

"So your parents weren't biological either?" Eve continued a bit more lightly.

"Just two older people who raised you," Jonas answered.

That made her smile.  "So, you didn't look like them or anything like that, right?"

"No," Jonas laughed out.  "I was the outcast in the community with my light eyes.  Both Gabe and me," he said, glancing down at the boy.  "Everyone in the community had dark eyes and I actually saw they were brown, once I started seeing colors.  There were a few exceptions like me, Gabe, and a Six… I didn't know her name.  She probably had the potential to be a Receiver."

Eve nodded.

"Yeah… everybody  had brown eyes and brown hair--" Jonas cut off as he looked at Eve. 

She looked up at his abrupt pause.  "What?"

"… Fiona had red hair though," he said, noticing similar wine-red locks on Eve.  "She was the only one in the community with it, though it didn't make much of a difference because no one could see colors anyway."

Eve smirked.  "Maybe I would fit better there then.  I draw too much attention with my hair," she said, fingering a long strand of red hair that had escaped her bun.  Or maybe, Jonas thought, she let those two locks down strategically.  She did put her hair up, but there were always two wisps of hair falling down the sides of her face.  

"No, it's nice," Jonas said gently, observing the dark red of Eve's hair—the exact coloring of Fiona's.

Looking back to him, Eve smiled gratefully.  "Thanks, but I know it still stands out."

"In the good way," he offered.  Looking closer at her, he searched his memory for Fiona's eye color.  "Fiona had brown eyes though, and you have blue.  How is that possible if you're her twin?"

Eve blinked, smiling slightly.  "I, uh…" she paused, laughing a little.  "I guess that was another memory you didn't receive before you escaped."

Jonas raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, I'll show you," she said, motioning with her hand and leading the way to the bathroom across the hall.  Once she was situated in front of the mirror with Jonas beside her, curious as ever, she cleared her throat.  "Um… this might be a little surprising the first time you see it, okay?"

He nodded mechanically.

Taking a deep breath, Eve faced the reflective surface of the mirror and leaned forward, holding down the skin underneath her left eye with her fore finger.  Jonas watched her with interest as she observed her iris with what seemed like a bit too much concentration.  She pulled back from the mirror, still stretching the skin under her eye.  She then threw her head back and reached up with her other hand, deftly sweeping her index finger into her eye.  Less than a second later she straightened and observed the small lens on her finger.

Jonas stared, slightly openmouthed, at her, then at the object she was holding.  For the first time in a long while, he was speechless.

"It's called color contacts," she explained.  "You put these in your eye and it covers up your natural color."

Still, her silent thirteen-year-old house mate stared at her.

"… And they aren't just blue—you can get green, brown, and even unnatural colors like purple and yellowish.  The choices are unlimited," she said.  From the way he was still staring at her, she figured he had never thought about altering human traits—probably didn't think it could even be done.

"Uh… um, wow…" he said at last, leaning in closer to look at the blue lens on her finger.  "Doesn't it hurt when you put it in?"

Eve shrugged.  "When you first get them, yeah.  But after a while it's routine and you get better at it.  Some people I know don't even need a mirror to put theirs in."

"So everybody has them?"

"Oh, no—just some.  And some have just clear contacts and they just need them for better sight."

"_Better _sight?" Jonas echoed.

For a moment, Eve narrowed her eyes at him in confusion.  A phrase came to her suddenly and she remembered talking to Diana a few days ago about everyone in the communities being genetically enhanced… along with their world and how it ran.  Perfect hearing and seeing was a commonplace thing.  So common in fact, that everyone had it.  Even Eve herself.

"We aren't all genetically enhanced, Jonas," she said, smiling.

He blinked at her.

"From what you tell me, your memories you received from the Giver were all memories of humanity, eternal concepts, thoughts, and feelings that, yes, do exist here in the real world.  But there's something else to the reality to think about too.  There's an entire WORLD of things that man has created in the time since we were all walking around on all fours wearing animal skins."

Jonas raised an eyebrow.

Eve flapped a hand at him.  "But of course, that sentence meant nothing to you because you have no idea what evolution is," she said, more to herself than to him.  Then she sighed.  "I have a lot more to tell you before you go to Luminus Middle School with me—you know that."

He nodded, almost sadly.  He remembered the day after the night he had come, having spent all of it in front of the fire with Eve as she told him hundreds, maybe even thousands of things about Trajan, America, the entire world.  That conversation had leaned more towards humanity though, like she said.  She had talked about concepts and ideas much like his memories—Christmas, amusement parks, pets, and the like.  Even things like war and death had been discussed.  Now she wanted to catch him up with technology and how it affected how everyone lived.

"So let's get started," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the bathroom and down the hall into the den.

************************************************************************************

A/N#2: Well, well, folks, it looks like Jonas is going to the eighth grade with Eve after Christmas vacation.  Wonder what will happen there…

To tell you the truth, I haven't REALLY mapped it out entirely yet.  You'll just have to wait and see.  ^_^

And for the love of Zeus, REVIEW!!!


	5. Welcome to the Real World: On Thin Ice

A/N: You know what?  I realized a few weeks ago that I could easily turn this into one of those middle school/high school bopper stories.  Ugh… but I won't for OBVIOUS reasons.  Please!!

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"December 29, 2146.  Seven days till the eighth grade."

"I know…" Jonas took a long, deep breath.  "But I think I'm ready."

"You sure?" Eve tilted her head.  "No one's forcing you, you know."

"No," Jonas agreed, looking out over the crowd of people.  "But I really think I'm ready."

The redhead beside him frowned but after a moment's pause she merely shrugged and stepped out onto the ice.  She expertly stroked a few times before whipping back around to face him.  She motioned with one hand.  "Come on, you're the one who said you were ready."

Nodding slowly, Jonas odd took a step forward, still not used to the elevated feel of his feet in ice skates.  Eve offered him a hand as he placed one foot on the slippery ice.  For a moment, she was sure he would buckle but his other foot soon followed and he slightly wobbled.

"Whoa," she said, grasping his hand a bit tighter.  "Take it easy; don't try to overbalance."

"Easy for you to say," he said, almost laughing.  Almost.

Eve shook her head.  "You said you were ready and now I'm going to make you eat your words.  Come on, let's go out in center ice."  

Diana leaned back against the table and watched as the pair slowly made their way out on the ice.  Peter had gone to fetch a few hot drinks and left her alone to supervise.  But she hardly watched them cautiously.  The Central Plaza outdoor rink was a popular attraction to the people of Luminus and Eve had suggested the spot for a few hours of fun just the day before.

Diana had to admit, the atmosphere of the rink was one for admiring.  Set in the heart of the largest outdoor shopping center in Luminus, the rink knew no boards or boundaries—it was simply a square portion of ice surrounded by a few strategically placed trees.  The setting was perfect for one of those "Winter Wonderland" movies.  It was nearing sunset now, and the ice was quickly crowding with more skaters.

The brunette loosely crossed her arms and watched her two housemates thoughtfully.  They had become friends quickly, perhaps even too quickly.  She figured it to be the connection with Fiona, even though Peter deemed it something else entirely.  She smirked at the thought.  Yes, it was a small world, wasn't it?

Jonas momentarily looked up as three skaters, looking no more than a year older, breezed by him, nearly knocking Eve off her feet.  

"Hey, Eve, who's the new Adam?" one of them asked, shooting her a smirk and momentarily looking at their clasped hands.

She deftly balanced herself and laughed cynically.  "What, Nathan?  Cassie let you out of the cage already?"

He pointed a finger at her.  "You better watch yourself," he warned arrogantly before stroking off with a grace only a hockey player could possess.

Jonas turned to the redhead and watched as she rolled her eyes with a sigh.  She caught his stare and briefly smiled.  "Nathan Lockley.  Freshman at Luminus High."

"You know him well?"

Eve shrugged.  "Only through my friend Cassie.  They've been dating for a few months."

Curious, Jonas looked after the male and watched as he skated with complete ease.  How he wished he could handle himself that well over frozen water.  Then again, everyone in this world had thirteen years and more to learn how to ice skate, or everything else…

"My name isn't Adam," he said suddenly, frowning and turning back to Eve.

She looked confused for a moment but eventually laughed.  "Oh," she waved a hand.  "That's something else entirely—I'll explain later."

"What's wrong with now?" Jonas asked, as he began to skate again.

Eve followed him, amazed at how he was adjusting so fast on the ice.  "Well… it has story to it," she answered.

"Bore me," Jonas said, smiling.

He was a curious little cat, wasn't he?  She should have known that by now.  Sighing, she complied.  "All right, all right, since you want to know so badly."  They reached center ice where only a few people dared venture.  Majority of the skaters were intent on skating that same large circle forever and ever.  Eve saw no point in that.

"Here, give me your other hand," she instructed.  When he obeyed, she slowly started to turn her skates this way that, pulling him along as she went backwards.  He followed.

"Some people believe it, some don't." She scrunched up her face in thought.  "Let's see, to make a long story short…"

Jonas waited patiently.

"Adam was the name of the first man on Earth," Eve explained, starting to turn in a circle. 

"Okay."

"And the first woman was named Eve."

Jonas raised an eyebrow.

"So since they were the first human beings, that also makes them the first husband and wife," Eve went on, spinning in a circle with him, their hands still clasped.  "That's why whenever people see me with a guy, they joke about him being Adam."

"Because your name's Eve," Jonas followed up, nodding.  "I get it."

"But don't worry about it, he was just being stupid," Eve assured, waving a hand.

"Hm…" Jonas simply stated, understanding.  

"You're getting this skating thing down pretty good," Eve observed as he stroked beside her.  People zoomed around them, some faster than others, though all of them seemed experienced.  Even some little children looked like they had been skating for years.  Maybe they had.

"Fast learner, I guess," Jonas answered her.  His gaze caught on the same three high schoolers that had skated by them a few minutes before.  "Though not as fast as them."

Eve turned and watched as they raced down center ice, missing her figure by a few yards.  "Well, they have an advantage.  Hockey skates are different from ice skates."

Jonas looked down to their feet and noticed the different looking shoes.  

She faced him.  "Maybe we should get you a pair.  Guys usually skate better in those."

"I still don't think it would help," Jonas said, shifting.  Eve smiled at him.  The way he was skating at the moment was far better than how she had skated when she first tried.  She had only been six, then again.  She was good now and that was all that mattered.  Especially since she was going to have to teach her housemate a few things.

"Just push off one foot and slide a little on the other before switching feet again," she said, showing him the movements.  He followed, but with more care than necessary.  "And straighten up—don't bend over or you'll lose your balance easier."

After ten minutes of watching the two, Diana sat up straighter against the table, her back arching as she pushed herself up.  Rather than following the circle of skaters around the rink, they stayed in center ice—something Eve liked to do.  She was teaching him how to lean, go backwards, and even spin in place.  

Peter, sitting beside her, followed her gaze.  "Ten bucks."

Diana blinked.  "What?"

Her fiancé nodded to the pair and took a drink from his cup.  "Ten bucks they get together before Easter."

The brunette beside him laughed heartily.  Diana shook her head.  "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well… look at them—they've only known each other for eight days." Even as she was saying it, she wondered if it was possible she could be proven wrong.

"But they have a common past, not to mention Fiona.  Sometimes you get thrown in the right situation," Peter argued reasonably, leaning back.  "And it's not like it takes a lot for a guy to like Eve."

Diana squinted, turning on him.

"She's smart, she's energetic…" Peter shrugged.  "And the knockout looks might have a little to do with it too."

Diana frowned at him.  Then a sigh escaped her.  "… Yeah," she said, defeated, as she sank down a little lower in her seat.

Peter smiled.  "So!  Let's make it twenty bucks then."

Diana snatched her sweater and flung it at his head.

*****************************************

He was skating without her now and she hadn't directed him in any way in the past five minutes.  He knew a forward stroke and he knew how to spin in a circle, though not in place.  It didn't matter—either way, he was doing remarkably well.  Eve almost found herself jealous she hadn't been able to pick it up that fast.

"You wanna try to go backwards?" she said finally, arms loosely crossed over her middle.

Jonas looked up at her voice.  "Well—I am kind of tired of going forward," he said sarcastically.

She punched him playfully on the arm of his sweater.  "See if I teach you anything else."

Oddly enough, at that moment she shifted her weight to one foot and inadvertently the blade on her skate gave out from her lean and she quickly felt her control slipping.  Her hands went out on reflex when she hit the ice on her bottom, but they did nothing to break her fall.

"Ow…" she mumbled, shifting on the ice.

Jonas was next to her in record time.  "Maybe I should be teaching you some things," he grinned, holding out his hand.

Eve frowned at him as her gaze went from him to his hand and back again.  Then, with a pert "hmp," she pushed herself up to a standing position and dusted off the thighs of her pants.

Jonas pulled his hand back, a little more than surprised.  Then he managed a small laugh.  "You know, Fiona isn't half as stubborn," he joked.

Her blue eyes flashed at him.  "Maybe that's because I'm not Fiona," she said shortly, turning away from him.

He reflexively took on the apologetic side.  "I apol--" he started, and then shook his head a little.  Where had that come from?  He skated after the redhead and came up at her side.  "I didn't mean it like that, Eve."  
She nodded absently.  "I know, but…" she trailed off, skating a bit faster.  "It's still weird."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, though still loud enough for her to hear.  She skated off the ice, minding a few bodies zooming by.  Jonas followed behind her, smiling at the fact that it would have been hard to lose that long-layered curtain of dark red hair in a crowd.  

"It's okay," she said finally, coming to a stop at her bag.  Diana checked her watch.  

"You two done already?" she said, leaning back on her elbows.

"I'm hungry," the teenagers said in unison.  They glanced oddly at each other.  Diana laughed shortly.

"Well then, we'll fix that," she said, standing.  "Do you want to eat out or just go back home and cook something?"

Eve looked at Jonas, who looked at Peter, who looked back at Diana.  They seemed to be waiting for someone to suggest something and then they would follow along.  What sheep.  Eve cleared her throat.

"Let's go home," she said, "We need to teach Jonas how to cook."

"Cook?  Me?" Jonas pointed a finger in his chest.  "I couldn't even make eggs the other day."

"You'll learn soon enough.  On the days when you're stuck at home with nothing to do, you'll find yourself going to the kitchen whether you're cooking or eating," Diana assured, waving a hand.  "And Gabriel will have to depend on someone to cook for him for a long time."

Gabriel.  He was always in the back of Jonas' mind; his sleeping form in the same crib that had been used for Eve.  At night he would eat dinner with the rest of the family and then go right back to sleep, only to wake everyone at an ungodly hour of the morning again.  There hadn't been a baby in the house in a long while and both Diana and her mother were readjusting.

But Gabriel could walk now, being a little over one year old.  It gave everyone's arms a rest.  

"All right.  Let's go home then."

************************************

The sun beamed down on her figure, hitting the lighter parts of her hair in a natural highlight.  She sat on the riverbank, watching the water gently flow south.  A breeze whispered through the trees on the other side of the river and sent a few leaves across the water in a small whirlwind.  They fluttered a few seconds more until finally, the breeze blew past her, and she watched as the green wisps zigzagged a path down to the surface of the clear water.  

She continued to observe them even as they drifted slowly downstream and caused gentle ripples in the smooth perfection of the river.  In many ways, she saw the scene play out much like her life—the sense of belonging, only to be swept away and become a part of something larger altogether.  She eyed a patch of geraniums growing near the water's edge and reached out to play with the red petals of the dainty flowers.  Yes, she could actually see them in their true beauty.

After another moment, she left them alone and raised her head to the sky, her eyes blinking away once she set sight on the sun.  It was mid-afternoon and she would soon find herself trudging through the streets back home for dinner.  Her free time hours were limited, precious as they were in her life.  They were all she had now.

Her eyes came to rest on the wooden bridge crossing the river.  It was ironic that the way out happened to cross a river.  It was symbolic of the way people crossed a river in life, or crossed a river in existence in her case.  She had never really lived.  Sighing, she pushed a lock of brown hair behind one ear, its length just long enough to stay put there.

Soon after, with some sort of sixth sense, she felt the presence of someone walking up behind her.  She didn't turn in fear or anything of the sort—rather, she embraced the fact that she wasn't alone anymore.  However, she was surprised to see the teenager that came up at her side and sat down on the grass next to her.

"Hey."

She managed to spread into a small smile.  "Hi."

An awkward silence passed, during which both girls looked out across the river.

"So what brings you here?" the brunette asked lightly, hugging her knees close.

She earned a smile from her friend.  "Memories," was the quiet thoughtful answer.

"Of him?"

A pause.  "Dominantly."

"Me too."

Another silence graced their ears, though this time the wind picked up and rustled more leaves from the trees, causing the flowers to lean in one direction.

"I think a lot more than I used to," the teenager tilted her head.  "And I'm pretty sure you think a lot more than a nine-year-old girl should."

The brunette nodded absently.  "I think so."

Her older friend sighed into the wind.  "… Don't you wonder about what's going to happen?"

"They're going to call a meeting, try to do away with this entire mess and act like nothing happened," came the dry answer.

"But they can't.  They would have to get to every last one of us now, and I wouldn't let them get to me.  I know you'd do the same."

The younger girl nodded again, maybe a bit stronger.  "You're right."

"If we could live like this forever, until the day we die…" the teenager stood from her spot, her arms spread as the wind breezed by, ruffling her clothes against her skin and lifting her hair off her shoulders.  "That would be something."

"Yeah…" her companion paused, thinking… imagining.  "Yes, it would."

The cherry-haired lass hooked her thumbs in the back belt loops of her jeans and walked a few feet toward the water's edge.  If she looked closely, she could see a good ways down into the river depths; a rock here and there, a few plants…  

'And maybe the possibility of fish one day,' she thought silently.  She turned back around.  "So how are your parents doing?"

The question caught the child a little off guard.  After a quick thought, she answered, "Good as expected."

"That means bad then, doesn't it?"

A nod answered her.  "I'm more flexible about it.  They can't do anything but sulk.  It pays off to be young in the end," the younger girl said simply, a ghost of a smile flashing across her face.  For a fleeting moment she seemed to possess that notorious extrovertedness and charm she had been known for.  

"I don't blame them," the teenager replied.  "None of this was their fault.  It wasn't any of us that brought this about—we just abided by it."

"But we don't anymore," the younger girl said firmly.  "And it's going to stay that way."

"Don't you wish you knew for sure?"

"I do.  They'll have to kill me first."

The elder of the pair tilted her head.  "This has really changed you, hasn't it?"

"We were close.  I know I annoyed him and seemed like nothing more than a little body of enthusiasm, but if he would have known how much he meant to me, maybe we could have had the chance to share this world in its reality."

"I know," her friend agreed quietly.  "I think I want that more than anything."

"Him?"

"Him."

The brunette smiled.  "Love is a great thing when you're finally allowed to understand it."

The thirteen-year-old shifted, hands in pockets.  "Mm hm."  She smiled a little at her comrade.  "Do you want to eat dinner at my house?"

"Please?  My parents are becoming more than irritating."

"Come on, let's go.  I was thinking about baking a cake for the first time."

A little happier, the Nine took her friend's offered hand and pulled herself up.  Fittingly enough, the situation going on around them had caused them to become great friends.  They had the one important element in common—him.  The older girl slung an arm around the little one's shoulders as they started to walk back toward her house.

************************************************

A/N#2: The next eight or so chapters explore some "real world" events that Jonas has yet to experience.  They should be good.  ^_^


	6. Welcome to the Real World: Bowling and F...

The Face of Love – Chapter Six: Welcome to the Real World: Bowling and Friends

"You roll the ball down the lane and try to hit all the pins."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Oh," Jonas replied shortly, observing the people as they stepped up and tried their hand at completing the task. It seemed easy enough, though he couldn't help but wonder if there was something he was missing. Diana and Peter came up behind them.

"So? Up for it?" Diana asked, looking at Jonas.

"I'm up for anything," he answered. And indeed, he had been very open-minded the past week. The day before, there was ice skating, followed by ice cream—odd combination, but worth the taste. And then he had tried all kinds of food at various restaurants; Chinese, Italian, Mexican (of which he had then learned about the countries). Even McDonald's seemed a luxury to him. It was all food he had never tasted before, and it was GOOD.

And so then it was Peter's idea to go bowling. The other plus was that it was Saturday—the house lights were off and in place of them, the psychedelic disco balls. Jonas had momentarily looked down at his seemingly glowing white shirt as soon as he had stepped in the door. The effect was amazing to him.

The atmosphere of the bowling alley was filled with cigarette smoke and if one could tolerate that, it was a relatively nice place to be. 

And it was an experience, most importantly.

After tying the lace on his bowling shoe, Jonas watched as Eve took her first shot. She looked as if she were counting her steps up to the lane. Accordingly, she let the ten-pound ball slide from her grasp, and watched it glide down the center of the polished wooden lane. A few seconds later, the purple ball knocked the white pins from their formation and into the blackness behind it. Two teetered left and right, but in the end proudly stood their ground.

Eve turned back around and shrugged. "Haven't played in a while," she informed with a smile.

"Eight out of ten," Diana said, "Not bad." And she proceeded to program everyone's name on the computer screen facing their lane. 

Eve's next shot knocked the two remaining pins down rather harshly.

"See? Spares aren't bad at all," Diana reiterated.

Peter was next, and Jonas vaguely noticed the knowing glance exchanged between Diana and Eve. Amazed, the teenager watched as he cradled the ball in one hand and seemingly flung it down the lane. It curved extremely right for most of the trip down to the pins, but at the last second it swerved back left and hit the middle pin perfectly. All ten pins flew into the blackness, and the screen above them keeping their score flashed every color of the rainbow and formed the word, STRIKE.

Diana sneered at her fiancé when he took his seat beside her again.

"I know I'm good," he smiled at her. 

Ignoring him, Diana stood and approached the lane just as a new set of pins appeared. Jonas leaned over to Eve. "How did he do that?" he asked, obviously referring to Peter.

Eve leaned back and crossed her arms loosely over her stomach. "Oh, it's a guy thing. It's like they all know how to do that curve. Honestly, I don't know the physics behind it."

Diana ended up hitting eight pins altogether. Peter grinned at her when she returned, and she merely punched him on the arm of his sweater.

"Okay, Jonas—let's see what ya got," Eve nudged him playfully. 

The Receiver groaned inwardly. The worst scenario would consist of him slipping and falling, watching as the ball rolled down the gutter, as Eve had called it. Correction: that would be the best scenario.

However, the action was quite the contrary. With sweaty palms, he rolled the bowling ball off his hand and watched as it hit the four pins to the left of the middle.

"Good, now just do that on the other side," Eve half-joked. Jonas frowned at her.

His next shot was a gutter.

"You'll get better; I promise. It's a male gene to be good at all bowling," Diana said, patting him on the back. Once again, Eve stepped up to the lane, and got another spare.

"So how long does this game go?" Jonas asked her when she had returned and Peter had stepped up. Eve glanced up to the screen and mentally counted the grid lines. 

"Ten," she answered eventually. Then, without warning, she scooted a little away from him and proceeded to peel off her fuzzy sweater. It was late December after all, and Trajan was colder than ever. After worming out of the softness, she scooted back.

"Okay," Jonas started, "Let me get this straight: people like to ice skate in the winter--"

"When it's cold," the redhead put in. She always seemed to remember that the community was climate controlled. Just the thought of never having snow and Christmas together made her shudder.

"—And bowl on Saturdays because the disco lights come on."

"Reminiscent of the 1960's," Eve finished.

"McDonald's is the number one fast-food restaurant in America," Jonas continued.

"Golden arches," Eve supplied.

"And Shoney's is the old folks heaven."

"Not to mention KFC."

Jonas shook his head a little. "I don't see how I'm going to remember all this."

"Oh, you will. When you live in a fast-paced world, you learn that way too. It's easy to be American," she said. "Maybe even too easy sometimes." After a moment's pause, she reached into her jeans pocket and retrieved a packet of gum. She offered one to Jonas, but he politely refused. Shrugging, she chewed thoughtfully on her own piece, waiting for her next turn.

True to Diana's words, Jonas did get better with each turn. After his second shot he managed to avoid any gutters and even pulled off a spare at one point. He was clearly behind in score, but for personal record, he was doing remarkably well. How he wished the Giver could see all this.

The Giver.

It was a subject everyone knew he was still quiet about. Diana had asked him one day about the man whom he had received his memories from, and Jonas had shrugged a little and changed the subject. The truth was that he thought he embraced his new world a little too enthusiastically. While the original intent of the Giver was for Jonas to live in the real world, the teenager excruciatingly regretted leaving his teacher behind. More than anything else, above his family and friends, he wanted the Giver to see what it was like to eat different foods, to ice skate, or bowl… to live.

But contrary to his deeper thoughts, he knew that the Jonas who lived in the Community was long gone. He was someone else now, and his past was exactly that—the past. Everything that had to do with that place, the Giver included, needed to be left there… in the past.

The snap in front of his face interrupted his thoughts.

"Earth to Jonas, come in Jonas," Eve said, waving at him. He blinked a few times before focusing in on her familiar face. 

"Sorry," he offered.

"I think you think too much," she said, nodding.

"W-what?"

"You're always staring off into space with this look on your face. Sometimes I forget what you had to go through," Eve leaned back. "Are you truly happy that you're here?"

Jonas considered, staring at the tile floor. "I am…" he began, "but at the same time I wish I had familiar company."

Eve tilted her head. "Like Fiona?"

The question caught him off guard. He had originally been thinking of the Giver, but any of his friends or family would have been a nice addition… except his father. He didn't think he could ever wash away the images in his mind of release. He thought of Gabriel and how the toddler would have had that exact fate if Jonas hadn't taken him with. Briefly, he wondered how the community was handling all his memories.

"More than just her," Jonas answered eventually. Eve, seemingly satisfied with his answer, quieted and left him alone

The following two hours were spent trying to knock pins and reflect pool balls. Much to his surprise, Jonas proved better at the easygoing game with its colored spheres and green playing surface. In a game against Peter, he watched victoriously as the eight-ball fell swiftly into the corner pocket. As a result, he won a drink, which he easily could have paid for himself, but it was the thought of winning that counted.

"So what should we do tomorrow?" Eve asked as soon as they stepped into the night air. 

"Sleep," Peter answered promptly.

"Actually, we need to go shopping," Diana announced, almost to herself.

"Shopping?" three voiced echoed bewilderingly. 

"Yes, _shopping_," the brunette emphasized. "Remember what tomorrow is?"

"December 31?" Eve supplied.

"Which is…" Diana continued almost impatiently.

"New Year's Eve," was the quiet answer from the Receiver.

"Exactly." Diana smiled. "The company always has a Countdown party, remember?"

"Oh," both Peter and Eve mused shortly.

"I wasn't planning on having you go this year, Eve, but with Jonas here and all—it would give him a good idea of social classing," Diana opened the passenger door. "Not to mention free food."

"What is she talking about?" Jonas asked quietly. Eve settled in beside him.

"Diana works for this insurance agency in Washington, D.C. Every year they have this mega-extravagent party for New Year's where all the employees can take their families. The catch is that it's REALLY ritzy," the redhead paused, thinking. "I don't think I can wear any of the dresses I have now," she said to Diana in the front seat.

"I don't think so either," Diana said, shifting. "And we'll have to check out some tuxedos for Jonas." 

"Another experience," Jonas mumbled, thinking about what Eve had meant by "ritzy." There were the rich and the poor; he knew that before he came because of his memories, though he hardly had the chance to see it in action.

"It should be fun," Eve smiled before returning her gaze to the window where she watched the scenery pass.

********************************************

There was a time, not very long ago, when they lived in order and stability. In this fashion, gathered in one large unity, there were rules and regulations to follow. Specifically, during the Ceremony of Ages, there was great attention focused on order. In the way that everything was arranged and carried out—age to age, peer to peer—everything had order. 

There is time now, especially now, when they live in confusion and doubt of their existence and supremacy. When they gather now, it is as one community with its differences. And order is the last thought in anyone's mind. They didn't come into the building, one filing in row after another with their specific age group, nor did children converse with their worrying parents. They were scrambled, mixed together in body and mind, and yet finally a real whole. An individual whole.

The Chief Elder walked slowly up the steps leading to the stage. A hush fell over the crowd gathered in the large community auditorium, their attention turning to the elderly woman. She possessed the same air of confidence and kindness she had had at the preceding Ceremony of Ages. And yet, she wasn't quite speaking on the same subject now, one year later. There were suddenly more important things to be discussed within the community after the departure of one young man.

"This is the time," she began, looking out over the full auditorium, "when we acknowledge differences."

A certain teenager glanced to her right, catching her friend's eye. Then she switched to her left, where her other comrade sat, his expression unreadable. The younger girl to her right crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. All three knew what was coming, and they clearly didn't want to hear it.

"I know that my community has seen a time of turmoil in the past week. There are many things in life which we cannot understand… cannot control."

"But that doesn't mean we didn't try to," the redhead muttered mockingly. The brunette beside her chortled.

"But that doesn't mean we didn't try to," the Chief Elder went on, earning restrained laughs from the two girls sitting not too far from the stage. No one noticed, for the auditorium was too large and spacious to single out the quiet laughs from them.

"And we know that we can rise above this and continue in the tradition that we have for so many years now. These 'memories' one would call them, are brutal to our society—a serious and dangerous attempt at destroying what generations before us have worked so hard to accomplish."

"Horse shit," the redhead uttered blatantly.

"But we will not be challenged without putting full effort back into it. The Council has reached a decision based on precedents of this case. The former Receiver has left us, as did the one preceding him. And we will not fall into the hands of corruption or destruction."

Her audience held their breath tensely.

From a single sheet of processed paper, the Chief Elder read accordingly, "It is within the best interest of the Council of Elders to prohibit any and all forms of these memories, both action and speech. Hence, until further notice, every family unit is to receive a bottle of the specified medication here," she waved a hand to her left.

"So we won't get _stirrings_ anymore?" our redheaded character derided. Her male friend beside her elbowed her for silence.

"And take accordingly as the directions state," the Elder finished. 

There was a murmur in the crowd as a large portion of the sitting population promptly stood and left through the open double doors. The majority of these departers were aged 25 and younger.

Both girls turned in their seats at the commotion. Many of the elders also rose, but in question. Of the almost 3500 in the auditorium, the entire population of the community, all were puzzled at the sudden disturbance, though the youngsters who valued their life treated it as if they were on a stroll somewhere in a park. 

The brunette smiled at the redhead. Things were getting more interesting by the minute.

The Chief Elder, quite shocked by the fact that a large part of her audience was walking out on her, stepped away from the microphone as other members of the council rushed onstage to consolidate about the situation.

The nine-year-old stood, her hands tucked casually in the belt loops of her jeans. She first looked at the redhead and then the class clown. "Ready to go?"

"As ever," he answered, standing and stretching. 

"Let's get outta here," the redhead agreed, shuffling past the still seated bodies in their row.

Once outside, the sunlight beamed down on their figures, reminding them of some reality left in the world. The three walked shoulder-to-shoulder, their demeanors casual, as if they hadn't simply walked out on the ruling body of their community like married men would whores.

"Wanna go swimming?" the redhead questioned her friends, her gaze traveling to the river where a handful of people who hadn't bothered to attend the assembly looked as if they were having the greatest time.

"Sure," was the commonly voiced answer. Without further ado, they proceeded to walk to the river.

******************************************

The medicine bottle was there that night when the dinner crew left food on the doorsteps of homes. The parents took them as they had been told—the children went to the sink after their authority figures had gone out of the room and merrily watched the pink pill swirl in the drain before disappearing into the darkness below it.

They would see changes yet.

Somewhere far away, Eve shifted with dreams in her sleep. In the next room, the Receiver lay awake.

*******

A/N#2: I know, I know—what up with the _language_, AP? I feel I had to emphasize some major elements in this story and what better to emphasize something with than profanity?? Heck yeah!!

And I'm sorry I haven't updated in SOOOOOO long. I was blessed with getting a former MARINE CORPS officer for an English teacher. Yeeaaah………. I'll try to post chapters more often, especially since people are liking this story so much. Thanks y'all!!!

And I know the plot is getting weirder and weirder every chapter. DO NOT ASSUME WHAT MY INTENTIONS ARE!!!!!!!!! Trust me, it works out in the end. ^_^


	7. Welcome to the Real World: Basketball De...

A/N: It has been a while, hasn't it, folks?  Sorry about the long delay but a lot of shite has been happening in life lately. ^_^ Onto happier things! What will happen to Jonas? Ooh…

*****************************************

Jonas lay on the three-seater in the living room, both hands linked behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.  His mind was skimming over the events of the last days of December, and he was surprised to find that so many activities could fit in the space of twelve days.  Beside him on the coffee table lay the kitchen calendar he had taken from the refrigerator and written in light pencil the events he had had since coming to Luminous.

December 21—fainted into Eve.  December 22-25—hello, Luminus, make room for the Receiver.  December 26—ice-skating.  December 29—bowling and pool.  December 31—ritzy company party…

It was January 2 now as he wandered through his thoughts.  Diana passed by the archway and paused mid-stride when she saw him lying there, staring into nothingness.  He seemed tired.  He should have been after all they had put him through over the Christmas vacation.  Yet, they still had more things to do before the inevitable Monday when he would face the world of school.

"Jonas?"

He sat up immediately, being the ridiculously proper lad he was.  "Yes?"

Diana stepped into the room.  "I just got off the phone with Principle Carter from Luminus Middle School.  Teachers started back today and so she said it would be a good time to come cement your enrollment."

"Oh…"

"I know you're probably tired, but this is necessary." Diana glanced at the clock.  "We'll go after lunch, okay?  Eve can show you around and introduce you to your new teachers."

"Oh…" he said again, though not impolitely.  "Sure, that sounds great."

Diana nodded pertly with a smile.  "Good.  Eve!" she called across the house as she exited, "come help me make some chicken, you lazy cow!"

******************************************

"Here we are; Luminus Middle School."

Jonas wormed out of the car and looked up at the looming brick building in front of him.  In many respects, it resembled his old school in the community—a double door entrance, one story, large windows for each classroom… the sight was hardly a reminder of his past, however.  It caused a flicker of hope to surface inside him—he was going to learn all about his new world in this building.  Unknowing of the long, tense breath he took, he looked over the car to find Eve eyeing him with her synthetic blue eyes.

"Nervous?  It's only a test run," she said, earning a smile from him.  

Diana shut her car door.  "Well, come on, you two.  You know the drill."

Also closing their respective doors, the teenagers followed in synchronization up the few stone steps preceding the front doors.  There was something peaceful about a school building when it wasn't occupied by boisterous middle school students with nothing better to do than be loud.  The halls seemed to emanate a tranquility.  Jonas observed his surroundings curiously as he followed closely behind Eve, his blue eyes traveling over every crevice in the walls, every announcement on the bulletin boards they passed.  It was a rather new school, built only three years before, and had been designed very neatly.

In the front lobby they reached the office door.  Inside sat two receptionists gated by two large mahogany desks, papers littering every possible space on the polished wood.  They both looked up in expectance at the sound of the door.

"Diana?" one said, surprised. 

"Hi, Faye.  Is Mrs. Carter in?" the brunette returned.

"Principals only show up for workdays if the cafeteria agrees to serve doughnuts for breakfast," the other answered shortly.

"Really, now, Claire, that's not what principals like to hear when they actually do make it to workdays."

The blond woman turned in utter embarrassment.  "Oh, Mrs. Carter, you're here today…"

A tall woman in gray stood on the opposing side of the office, her hands on her hips.  "Yes, Mrs. McManus.  Contrary to popular belief, I really do have prior engagements when I say I do.  This time around, I kept my word."  Perhaps for the first time since entering the office, she seemed to notice the trio watching her conversation with her office employees.  

"Ah, Miss Caparaso," she smiled out, walking over to them.

"Hi," Eve replied almost automatically.

"And you must be Diana," she continued, switching her gaze to the brunette.  "I received the papers just yesterday about Jonas coming to our school.  Why don't we step into my office?" she asked, motioning with one hand.

Jonas momentarily tilted his head in thought.  She seemed nice enough.

"Actually, I was planning on having Eve show him around if that's all right.  Eighth graders really have no interest in sitting in an office discussing paperwork," Diana interjected, glancing back at Jonas encouragingly.  

Mrs. Carter nodded, agreeing.  "I myself wish I could skip the papers.  I'm quite certain this young man will be a credit to our school," she continued, looking at Jonas with a small smile.  "After all, he's in honor placement like Eve."

"Thank you," he said, already liking his new principal.

"Diana?  This way please," Mrs. Carter went on, walking off down a hallway.  

The two teenagers turned to each other with a shrug once Diana had whisked out of sight.  Little was said as they exited the office and came across the front lobby again.  Silence graced their ears and it seemed better that way for a while.  They took a turn to the left toward the academic halls.

"Each grade has their own hall, save for the science labs which are on the eighth grade hall and there are four of those," Eve said.  "If you ever get lost you can always tell by the lockers: sixth grade has red, seventh grade, blue, and eighth grade has green.  This right here," she made a motion with her hand, "is called the gallery.  See?"

Following her hand, Jonas looked to one wall and noticed a variety of paintings, drawings, and quilts decorating the whiteness.  "Oh…"

"And there's one-way traffic here," she continued, pointing to the fork of hallways approaching.  "The only exception of that is the morning before the first bell and the time after the dismissal bell at the end of the day.  In the morning, sixth graders hang a left," she pointed.  "And seventh and eighth graders go right."

They took the right hall and came across another fork of hallways, the right with blue lockers and the left in green.

"Seventh grade, nothing special there," Eve said, waving her arm in one direction.  "Eighth grade is mostly what you need to know.  This is where six periods of the day are going to be spent."

"Oh," Jonas said again.  There didn't seem to be much else he could say.

"First and second period are English with Ms. Blanton.  She's nice if you don't talk in class, which I'm sure you don't, so she'll like you."  Eve peered in the open doorway.  "And algebra is across the hall," she turned.  "Mrs. Fleming is cool, but boring."  

Warily, they both poked their heads in the empty classroom.

"This is basically the class of eternal note taking," Eve assured, nodding and backing out.  "One door over is Mr. Reep, history class."

"Mm hm."

"And I've heard he's nice on his good days.  Just don't expect praising comments every time you ace a test," Eve advised.  She started the trek back to the junction of grade halls.  "We had science last semester and that gives us a full credit so that's why you didn't have a science on your schedule."

"Oh."

They reached the gallery again, having passed the library and computer rooms situated in the middle of the three color-coded halls.  Silence had prevailed the entire time, interrupted only by the occasional passing teacher who greeted Eve.  

From out of the corner of his eye, Jonas suddenly noticed the two open sets of double doors on the opposing wall to the paintings and stopped mid-stride.  "What's that?"

Eve turned.  "Oh yeah—the gym."  She crossed her arms and strode smoothly to the doors, observing the gleaming new wax job on the floor.  "This is where we all run around like headless chickens playing whatever game the coaches pick that day."

Jonas laughed.  "Well, there's one thing I'm familiar with."

Smiling thoughtfully, the redhead beside him stepped in the doors and walked out in center court.  She spread her arms wide.  "I'd have to say this was my favorite class."

Jonas followed, looking around the large room in amazement.  The ceiling stood countless feet above his head and the width of the place seemed just as grand.  "This is nice."

Eve nodded indifferently, hands on her hips.  Her eyes were fixated on the metal cart of basketballs sitting off lines at half court.  She reached in the rack and pulled out a fully pumped ball, smiling as she dribbled it once, twice, just for good measure.  Jonas turned at the sudden sound, watching as his redheaded housemate maneuvered the ball from hand to hand and even dribbled it between her legs once or twice.

"You're good," he commented, feeling almost intimidated. 

She turned to face him with a shrug.  "Dated a black guy once—taught me some tricks."

Jonas squinted in confusion.

"Oh, forget it," Eve said quickly, laughing silently.  She would have to tell him about the world's stereotypes (by the way, I have NOTHING against black people).  Not that what she had told him had been false in any way—she had dated Devon for a few months, and he had been an exceptional basketball player.

She bounced the ball across the many feet between them.  "Wanna play?"

He caught it one-handed, dribbling a few times before looking back up to her.  "I've been watching ESPN, Eve.  You can't cheat me on this."

Eve crossed her arms.  "Who says I need to?"

He bounced it back.  "Bring it on, then."

She smirked, dribbling slowly toward the basket nearest the double doors.  Jonas backed up accordingly on defense, watching her every move.  She hadn't sprung into any real action yet.  She was walking casually, dribbling the ball from hand to hand.  Her maneuvers were born from long hours in the court, playing against Peter.

She reached the three point line before she finally got down to business, bending lower and going side to side to try and divert him.  Jonas followed her cautiously, not letting his guard down.  She was darting left and right with only the constant thump of the ball against the gym floor as their background music.  

~*~

_"Come on, Fiona!  We only need one more point!"_

_Just a little hesitantly, the redhead came out from her group, treasure wand in one hand.  Her playing square was just outside the reach of each member of the opposing team… except for one._

_"Get her, Jonas!  Don't let her win!"_

_She had to work around him somehow, but she couldn't without releasing someone else's playing square and having two defenders on her.  There were still at least 45 seconds left before they called unfreeze and could all ambush her.  Her best friend stood proudly in her way, smirking with his arms crossed.  His position had been much too perfect when the Timer, an Eleven named Tanya, had called the freeze in the last round.  He stood almost directly between her and the basket which she needed to drop the treasure wand in and make it back to her team's side before she was tagged._

_Beside him, within six feet, was Asher, also smirking.  On the other side, within ten feet, was another school friend of theirs.  Moving forward would mean setting both of them free…_

_Fiona frowned.  She approached Jonas head on, making sure Asher was still out of her playing square.  Jonas couldn't move unless she came close enough, but the basket was just behind him…_

_Quickly forming an idea, the redhead detoured right suddenly, heading away from Jonas.  Then she darted back left, watching him from beneath her lashes._

_Jonas furrowed his brow, unknowing of her strategy.  No one had ever tried to smart their way to the basket.  Basically, it was a run-drop-and-run game.  _

_"Come on," she prodded tauntingly, matching his smirk.  She waved the wand in front of his face, still out of the range of her playing square.  She stepped almost right up into him, releasing his playing square but quickly jumped away again as Jonas found himself farther away from the basket now.  _

_"Oh no; I'm not going to fall for that again," Jonas declared, blocking her right and left darts.  She backed out every now and then, only to come forward, then go right, then left, then out again and back to square one… literally._

_"Twenty seconds!" Tanya's voice shouted over the playing field, her eyes fixated on her watch._

_Fiona's eyes glanced in her direction for the slightest of moments before she returned to Jonas, an idea firing in her eyes.  She went close right, releasing him and noticed with glee that he followed, trying to block her.  From an unknown instinct, the determined girl took a small leap and rolled over once in the grass to the left, handily dropping the treasure wand in the basket from her position on the ground.  _

_"Jonas, unfreeze!" came the Timer's voice.  Once the wand was in the basket, the person nearest the target could chase._

_To put it simply, Fiona had to run.  Grunting, she scrambled to a standing position and took off for her team's side, who by now were yelling her name in triumph.  Jonas sprang into action, running after her form.  _

~*~

Jonas shook his head a little as the world around him began to fade.  The gleaming gym floor turned soft beneath his feet, the white hanging lights concentrating into one ray of sunshine.  The bleachers faded into trees, the court into a grassy open field.  Color faded into gray, losing its beauty and vibrancy.

And finally, the basketball stopped as the sound of dribbling halted and the redhead in front of him was younger… familiar…

A treasure wand was in her hand, nothing more than a rolled piece of paper with a few leaves taped to the end.  She was smirking at him, darting left and right, trying to trick him into this direction or that so she could get passed him.  Jonas stood still, staring at her, his eyes transfixed on her face… that FACE…

The girl stopped suddenly, her expression turning serious. She smiled at him, dropping the treasure wand onto the soft grass and approaching him.  She stopped just a breath from him, looking a few inches up into his eyes.

Jonas swallowed.  "Fiona…"

The faintest of smiles flashed across her face before she reached up and pulled his head down, meeting his lips with her own.  Jonas closed his eyes, surrendering himself to the rush of the moment.  What was happening?  Had it all been a dream?  Coming to Luminus, receiving the memories, escaping from the community…

But finally, after all his uncertainty, something felt right about kissing her… Fiona?

It was a short eternity with only the soft pressure of her lips to remind him of her presence.  He could have stayed forever like he was at that very moment…

"Jonas?  Jonas, are you okay?"

The blinding light of the sun split once again into small circles, dotting the black sky above.  The girl before him pulled away, her eyes shining in betrayal.  She backed away from him slowly as the ground beneath her hardened and blurred back into a wooden gym floor.

"You have to know what to see…" 

He blinked in astonishment as she faded away with the natural world around her.  "Fiona… wait!"

She shook her head sadly.  "You didn't," her voice was soft and yet cold.  She faded away completely before he heard her last words.  "Why should I?"

"Jonas, snap out of it!"

The Receiver opened his eyes and met the blue eyes of his housemate, her hand in front his face, basketball calmly rolling away from them.  Wildly, he glanced at his surroundings and found himself in the same spot he had been the moment before, the gym complete with basketball goals, bleachers, and hanging lights.

Eve lowered her hand, squinting at him.  "What happened?"

Jonas swallowed, recognizing his actions.  "Eve…" he said, just to remind himself which twin he was seeing.  

She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.  "… Yes?"

He smiled and shook his head a little.  "Sorry, I, uh… sometimes, you know, my memories just kick in when they want to if I see something.  What'd you call it?—déjà vu."

The redhead in front of him recoiled a little.  "Oh…" she trailed off with realization.  "Are you okay now?"

"I'm fine," he reassured quickly, hastening to get off the subject.  "We better get back."

Eve swiftly checked her watch.  "I guess."

***************************************************

The thirteen-year-old raised her palm up toward the sky and smiled a little as the snowflake fluttered gracefully into her hand.  "How did they manage to control weather?" she asked the younger girl next to her.

The brunette shrugged.  "Does it matter?  The fact is, they can't anymore."

"Snow," the teenager recognized immediately, calling back her memory of the sled ride on the hill.  It was her memory now, wasn't it?

"And color," her friend added, crossing her arms against the chill.  "And feeling."

"Let's go inside."

**********************************************

A/N#2: Hmm… do I see a love triangle forming?  I do!  I do!  The question is: which twin is it going to be?  Ooh…  Oh yeah, and I promise I won't make you wait near as long anymore for an update.  The semester is over and English class is bye bye—YES!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh.  I bet I have no readers left.  :(


	8. Welcome to the Real World: First Day

*****************************************

January 5, 2146.

For a long, tense moment, he stood there, staring blankly at the looming brick building he had already explored. It would be different this time. He wouldn't be walking in the doors for the observation of learning; rather, the objective of it. From his right, Eve slid him a glance.

"Ready?"

Jonas looked at her. Her books were settled in the crook of her arm, resting lightly against her hip. Her red hair was up in its usual bun, and she was looking at him with encouraging anticipation. The first day back from Christmas break was always just as interesting as the first day back from summer vacation. To Jonas, the moment proved just like the agonizing instant two weeks before, when he'd trudged through the snow with only Gabriel for company. And there he was again, facing a pair of doors, wondrously anxious and terribly hesitant to discover the knowledge behind it.

"I think so," he finally answered, taking a deep breath. 

"Then let's go," Eve chirped, starting off. Jonas followed and reached her side just as they stepped over the threshold.

He had always walked with Asher to school, though once they reached the age of nine, they rode their bikes together. Either way, it was the underlying thought in his mind as he walked beside Eve. On most days they would catch Fiona at the front gate. Now, walking through a remotely similar building with a more than remotely similar-looking girl, Jonas couldn't help but dwell on the chances that by his side could have been—

"Hey Eve. Who's your friend?"

The redhead turned at the voice, knocking Jonas out of his thoughts. "Oh, hey Jay," she returned, walking up to the taller male. Jonas followed.

"He lives down the street from me. First day—you know how it is," she went on turning to her former housemate. "Jonas, this is my friend Jay."

It had been an easy decision to move in with Peter. Diana and Eve's mother had been a wonderful provider for them both, but financially, times were unstable for them. Since Peter lived alone and was a short walk away, it was decided that Jonas would move in with him until the wedding in March, and then he and Diana would switch places. The familiar male guidance made him more comfortable about taking in his new life. Gabriel seemed to agree.

"So where are you from?" the blonde boy asked him, following after with a drink from his water bottle.

"Nowhere important," Jonas answered simply. Eve coughed slightly as she turned away.

"'Cause I'm thinking, why would anybody want to move here?" Jay mused, shrugging. "Luminus, boring little town with 5000 people."

"You'd be surprised," Jonas raised an eyebrow.

Jay grinned. "I guess. Well, nice to meet ya, buddy." He held out his hand.

Jonas blinked and cast a swift glance at Eve. She smacked her palm against her forehead and closed her eyes in silent chide. Jay looked curiously from one to the other.

"Uh… something I said?"

The bell rang.

"No! It's nothing, but uh, we have to jet because I have to show him where first period is," Eve said quickly, intercepting the space between the two males and nudging Jonas in the direction of the gallery. "We'll see you there, ok?" she called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner with the Receiver.

Jay frowned, then shrugged it away and headed for the cafeteria.

"Handshakes!" Eve was muttering to herself, shaking her head. "Two weeks of real world training and I didn't tell you about handshakes!" 

"I agree," Jonas put in, keeping up with her swift pace. "What exactly is it?"

"It's how people say hello," Eve explained, holding out her hand. "Here," she said. Jonas obeyed and gave her his free hand. "Just shake it once or twice like this. Guys tend to use it more than girls at our age, but when you meet older people, it's the polite thing to do."

"I see," Jonas said, and they both realized their hands were still clasped. Quickly, Eve dropped it with a small smile. Touch certainly wasn't forbidden in the real world, but it still seemed to have its barriers. It was only the normal thing to do when two people were well acquainted with one another. That much made sense to Jonas.

"Eve!"

Both teenagers turned at the voice and Jonas caught a glimpse of a petite girl coming up on Eve's other side. 

"Yumi, hey," Eve replied, taking a right toward the seventh and eighth grade halls. "How was Colorado?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. The chalets were booked full and every morning the main lobby was packed with skiers," Yumi informed, emphasizing her point with a swipe of her hand. "You couldn't get breakfast unless you woke up before seven a.m."

"Gosh," Eve mused.

"And Dad nearly crashed into a tree on the cross-country slopes," she went on, earning a hearty laugh from Eve. Jonas observed the girl with subtle curiosity. _The Giver had told him that there had been a time when flesh had different colors._ It was not so much her skin color, but her hair, which fell in a glossy black curtain. Her eyes were a dark, beady brown. She was Asian—the first he had seen in Luminus since arriving.

"I think we'll stick to the Appalachian Mountains next Christmas," Yumi finished, and suddenly seemed to notice for the first time that she had created a trio. "Oh, so who's your friend?" 

Eve looked to her other side and motioned. "Yumi, Jonas—Jonas, Yumi."

"Hi," they exchanged in unison.

"You must be new," Yumi went on, smiling. "Where are you from?"

He supposed he would have to give a direct answer at some point. What was it Peter had written on his papers? "… Boston," he answered confidently.

"Cool," Yumi nodded, and slowed her step. "Well, nice to meet you. See you guys later," she called before disappearing into crowd in the seventh grade hallway.

Eve watched Jonas with a knowing smile. The question was written all over his face.

"She's Japanese."

"Oh," Jonas said, nodding amusedly. "I was just wondering why I haven't seen anyone else like her."

"There aren't a lot of minorities here, specifically. You tend to find concentrations of them in bigger cities," Eve said as they entered the left hallway. "People are more cosmopolitan there."

The chatter of 300 eighth graders was all around them as they walked through the crowded hall. Stories of ski trips and Christmas cheer rang through his ears one after the other. Looking around, Jonas felt a small quiver of shyness at way everyone was so comfortable in their surroundings. Lockers opened and slammed repeatedly, accompanied by the rowdy shouts across the hall from one group of friends to another. The teachers, mostly women, stood outside their classroom doors, and talked with each other in equally animated conversation.

He had always been so reserved. Most of his peers had been, yet now everyone was so confident in raising their voice, or putting their arm around someone, or using obscenities. Eve wasn't immune to the atmosphere. She seemed to know every other person who passed, for they greeted her with enthusiastic hey's and hi's, accompanied by high-fives or shoulder nudges.

English class was ten steps away before Eve suddenly paused in step. "Zack!"

A brown-haired boy who met Jonas in height was leaning against the locker nearest their first period, his books under one arm. The sound of his name caught his attention and he looked toward them with a smile. He was in front of them before Jonas could fully analyze the surprise in Eve's tone.

"Hey!" he greeted her with an arm outstretched, and Jonas watched in thinly veiled surprise as she gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek, the surprise gone without a trace.

"What are you doing back already?" she asked, pulling away.

"Dad decided at the last minute I shouldn't miss the first week back. It wouldn't be worth it," the boy (Jonas assumed his name was Zack) answered with a shrug. His eye caught their silent observer. "Who's your friend?"

"This is—"

"Jonas," he answered for himself. "Jonas Whitley."

Eve looked from one to the other and cleared her throat. "And uh, Jonas, this is my boyfriend, Zack."

************************************************

__

Boyfriend. Had she informed him purposely after he'd already confused himself enough over the emotions running through him? Just what kind of luggage did the word carry anyhow? Could it really mean that much in this world?

Jonas flipped through the thin pages of the dictionary, his eyes scanning the words in bold down the columns. _Boyfriend – (Informal) A preferred male companion or intimate friend of a girl or woman. _

He frowned and closed the thick book with a snap. It was lunch time but he had opted to go to the library, something he had wanted to do anyhow. He used it as an excuse to get away from the rowdy crowd of thirteen-year-olds he had been surrounded by for the past four hours. Class was run so differently from what he had always known.

There were obvious similarities, of course. Rows of desks, shelves of books, and four computers atop the long counter in the back of the classroom. The teacher talked, the students wrote—it was a simple enough concept across all civilizations. 

But perhaps the first difference he noticed was the tardiness. Even after the bell had rung, several students had whisked into the room and plopped down in the nearest seat with a spirited, "I was _so_ here!"

Ms. Blanton had simply smiled and penned something down in her grade book. The atmosphere was still so loose, even when the lessons had begun. Jokes were thrown back and forth about random comments, and students were free to give their opinions without raising their hands. 

Algebra passed no differently. He was fully capable of doing the math, and as a result had been one of the first to finish the assignment. Gradually, as the other students caught up, they began forming their circles and talking in the same mindless chatter he'd heard in the halls. 

Eve had waved him over to her group of friends, but he'd kindly shaken his head and stayed in his seat. He didn't have to see her confusion to know it was there. Forlornly, he had turned to a clean page in his notebook and began writing the first words that came to him.

Standing alone in the library, save for the three librarians and a few students, he remembered the event and fished in his navy blue messenger bag for the piece of paper. Once retrieved, his eyes quickly scanned his handwriting.

__

There are some things I wish I could miss. But knowing what it was like back there, and here now… there are things I do miss. To name them would surprise even myself. I wonder what Gabe's doing now.

He did wonder. His fated little brother was his best friend and seemed to understand him on levels no one else could. When he stirred at night, Jonas would go and place his hand on the tot's back, transmitting various memories of peace and calmness. It always lulled Gabriel back to sleep. Jonas would remain standing over him, a faraway look in his eyes. Yes, they had made it, but what had they truly achieved?

The question ate at the Receiver like nothing else ever had. Sighing, he folded the paper and stuffed it back in his algebra book. Turning once more to the towering book shelves that sandwiched his form, he scanned the bindings of the books, coming across the strangest and most intriguing of titles. A small, black book with a hard cover and gold design caught his eye. The title was scrawled in loopy cursive and spelled out, _Utopia. _He reached for it.

"I bet you were a bookworm before you came here."

He whirled at the voice. Eve leaned casually against the book shelf, her arms crossed, head tilted. "Do you ever stop to have fun?"

A small laugh escaped him. "Fun has a price I've paid too often."

Eve squinted. Her arms linked closer together, the cold breath of the air conditioner chilling her. "You're upset. Is something wrong?"

Jonas stared at her. She wasn't wearing her blue contacts and her pale pink cardigan was an interesting compliment to her pile of red hair. The soft wonder in her eyes made her look even more like who he truly wanted to be standing there.

"Sometimes I just get to thinking," he answered finally, shaking his head a little. "I'm sorry. I know it seems like I'd rather be anywhere else."

Eve shook her head. "No, I know exactly what you mean. It's hard to get in the swing of things. You've been through so much change already. I shouldn't have expected you to keep up that smile all day long."

She was so considerate all of a sudden. Jonas couldn't help but wonder when she had come to these conclusions, all of them blatantly correct. It seemed everyone had two sides to them. Even himself.

The space between them seemed to increase, not in physical distance, but in understanding. Frowning invisibly, Jonas wondered why The Giver had never bothered to give him a memory about jealousy. It had been the cause of so many wars and predicaments in history, and yet he had never experienced the pang of it until now. 

"It'll get easier," he told Eve with a small smile. "It has to."

She smiled back.

*****************************************

Trucks. There were trucks that delivered food and supplies to the community every third Friday. Over the years, most children had made a sport of watching the planes land across the river, but the trucks were different. Just south of the town, the paved road led out into a small platform where laborers and street crews moved boxes and crates of packages.

She had to keep that in mind. The airplanes were a long shot but the trucks might prove useful.

The community was in disorder. They were taking people from their homes in the middle of the night now, dragging them into the darkness and disposing of them in some way or another. The younger generations had begun to resist, but things were eerily quiet during the day.

The surrounding communities had been called upon for help, but their inexperience with such a situation was only making matters worse. The older generations were going swiftly, confused and drowned in a sea of memories they couldn't understand. No one worked, no one spoke, and the town lay silent… dormant.

The first assembly that had tried to settle the community had ended in failure. Too many were opposed to doing away with the memories, and too many favored it. The population was split in half about what to do. The stronger side would eventually prevail, but no one knew which was the victor at that point. The time was too early to know.

Fiona lifted one hand and pressed it against the window of her room, her eyes searching the street for any sign of escape. The Committee of Elders watched them closely now, and free hours were spent inside, awaiting instructions from the speaker. But it was not as if they listened.

The street was empty. If she went now, she might be able to pass the watchers with the excuse of attending to the House of the Old. Given her previous reputation as a shy and gentle girl, they might still believe her.

Determined, she climbed over her bed and opened the door to her room, looking both ways in the hall. Her parents and Bruno were both asleep in the master bedroom, but the door was cracked. If she wasn't careful, she could wake them, and the questioning would never stop. Like most parents, hers were scared and confused by the new developments in the community. 

Quietly, she slipped through the hall and went out the back door. Her bike lay in the grass, and she swiftly righted it, taking off for the road. There was one last chance for them to make things right, but she needed the guidance of one specific person.

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A/N: Yeah… May 28, I said, but it got complicated. My original plot for this story is being changed drastically, because I thought of another ending that I like much better. I just have to write it now. The chapters should be coming swiftly from now on. I plan to have this fic done by August 7. Correction: I PROMISE this fic will be done by August 7. ^_^


	9. A Talk Over Hearts

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It did get easier. Jonas was dropped off each morning by Peter and met Eve at the front gate before walking with her to first period. The lessons came easier as well, with everyone settling back into a school atmosphere. The boisterousness of the halls certainly hadn't disappeared but a part of him had gotten used to it. Jonas even wondered what it was like to have that much confidence… to talk like the world revolved around oneself and what parties to attend, and going to the movies.

Lord, but he felt old sometimes. Things like that didn't interest him, at least not in the sense of going out and about to loiter and make trouble. Teenagers were different here. He didn't know if he would be able to fit in. Or if he even wanted to.

Eve's friends simply deemed him the quiet type, and he was. He found that everything was acceptable, and you had these kinds of people and those kinds of people. It was all right to be different. That much he had learned and appreciated. Peter was giving him daily advice about how to deal with the world. The man seemed to have a pile of knowledge buried in the serious, expressionless face he was always carrying around. One day, Jonas realized their small talks were operating much in the same fashion as his visits with The Giver had. He would sit and listen, and Peter would describe the way he had learned things. 

They ate dinner at Eve's house at least once a week. Jonas wondered why the women never accompanied them, but figured it was because Peter's cooking skills were limited. He wasn't bad at all, but no one could outshine Eve's mother. 

It had been easier to talk to her again. Through friends, he had found out that she and Zack had dated since Thanksgiving. Why she failed to mention the fact all the times she and Jonas accidentally brushed hands or shared a nice moment was lost to him. Even Peter seemed to shrug it off as if it were nothing.

"Women. You can't figure them out, no matter how hard you try," he had told Jonas. "Don't take it personally, kid."

And he hadn't. One rainy day in front of the fireplace, he admitted with a dropped head that he hadn't possessed the noblest of minds, either. What he felt for Eve, he really couldn't describe, but he knew it wasn't worth the fluttering of envy he had felt the first day of school. Perhaps he had really just been trying too hard to see her twin in her. Eve was her own person, and he could only wish she was someone else.

They were, he concluded that rainy day, friends. 

Valentine's Day. It was February 14th now as he glanced across the table at her. She was cutting a piece of red tape from a small roll, her fingernails painted a similar color. Every year, the Valentine's Day PTA reception was held in the school gym, and student council was in charge of decorations. It just so happened that Eve was the student body secretary. She managed to bribe Jonas into helping her cut out hearts and bows, accompanied by countless yards of ribbon. She would buy him lunch for a week, was the promise.

He thought the entire ordeal a bit much, actually. The holiday was obviously aimed at women and showering them with as many flowers and chocolates as possible. But why did it have to be limited to one day? And for that matter, why did it have to be material, temporary gifts? Flowers would wilt, and chocolates would be eaten. Even teddy bears would end up collecting dust on shelves. If all of it was such a common and promoted representation of love, wasn't the message a bit shallow?

Jonas had thought so. But his time in Luminus had taught him something very interesting in contrast with his previous life. Stuff. It was all about _stuff_. You do well in school, and get a good job so you can make a lot of money, and get more _stuff._ That's all it was about in the end. More cars, more computers, bigger houses, and bigger pay checks. Life was driven by the desire for more _stuff._ He had found it highly interesting. What was better? A society where material possessions were distributed equally and therefore not coveted and fought over (the community), or a society where one earned the money to have material possessions (Elsewhere)? He hadn't come up with a satisfying answer.

His quick glance didn't go unnoticed by the redheaded twin. 

"What?" Eve said, taping a curly ribbon to the paper hearts in front of her.

Jonas continued cutting, his shoulders going up in a small shrug. "I was just remembering."

Eve looked up momentarily. "About?"

He waited a long moment. "… Asher," he said finally, not completely lying. Fiona, Asher—same difference.

"Asher?" 

Jonas nodded. "He was my best friend. We used to do everything together." His voice had dropped a few decibels, but Eve wasn't pressing him on. Any time Jonas talked about his past, and that was rare enough, she quieted immediately and listened.

Maybe it was because, at the end of the day, she thought about Fiona all too often. She had a twin sister across the Reilyn Mountains, and yet Eve was knowingly staying away. The thought was unbearable sometimes. She shared blood with this girl, and Jonas was her only source of information. At the same time, she didn't always want to pound him for answers. She could tell, clear as day, what he had felt for her twin sister, and most likely still did. 

"Was he like you?" she asked instead, fiddling with the ribbons.

Jonas shook his head. "No. He was the class clown, and I was the goody-goody. He could be inconsiderate sometimes, but we got along really well." He paused. "At least, before Twelve."

Eve recognized the change in his voice. Shifting, she took a chance. "You make it sound like you lost all your friends after turning twelve," she kidded, smiling at him.

Jonas laughed, surprising her. He never laughed when his past came into conversation. "That's one way of looking at it," he said, finishing the heart. "I think there was a greater reason behind drifting apart from everyone, though. It brought me closer to the one person that really mattered."

__

The Giver, Eve acknowledged silently, looking at Jonas' quiet form. There was another person she would have loved to meet. By fate, how did she end up being the twin Diana had taken that fateful day? The lives of her sister and herself could have so easily been switched.

"Surely you didn't blame everyone else for not knowing the truth," Eve said slowly, not wanting to offend him and yet giving him her opinion anyway.

"I did at first," Jonas admitted. "But it passed. It's not like I could change them."

Eve focused intently on the tying the bow before her. "I'm sure you wanted to."

"More than anything," he agreed, thinking of Fiona again. Change was a loose word for it. A selfish part of him wondered if she would have felt the same way about him had she been given the chance to know what love was. With a rueful smile, he corrected himself—to know what _stirrings_ truly were. 

"Jonas, I…" Eve started, her gaze lifting to meet his. He regarded her with interest. Swallowing, she tried to continue. "I know you don't like talking about her, but I ask because I'm curious, not because I want to make you uncomfortable."

Jonas smiled slightly. "What is it?" 

Eve blinked. "… Well," she said after a moment, "I was just wondering… if she was a caretaker, doesn't that mean she had to release too?"

Apparently, Diana and Peter had told her all about the community's doings. He nodded slowly.

Eve bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "… She really…?"

Another nod. Jonas seemed to have let the fact sink in. Seemed to, anyhow. Perhaps it was just buried underneath everything else about his past, never to surface again. "… Strange, isn't it," he agreed, looking at the hearts in his hand. "Even someone like her."

Eve didn't miss the tone. "Ready to admit to that crush yet?" 

Jonas stubbornly shook his head. She did have a way of making light of a situation. 

"The night you came here," she went on, turning thoughtful, "you probably thought I was a ghost, huh?"

Jonas didn't meet her gaze. "That's one way of looking at it."

Eve balled a piece of paper in her hand and playfully threw it at him, hitting him square on the nose. He blinked and bewilderedly looked up. "You probably wanted me to be her."

Jonas stared at her.

"Hey Eve," came Diana's voice, followed by her appearance at the archway. She was munching cheerfully on a peanut butter bar, excruciatingly ignorant of what she had interrupted. "We'll be leaving soon. You better get those together."

Glancing at the clock, Eve realized it was indeed 6:00, only an hour until the dinner reception. She looked back to Jonas.

"Why don't you come with us?" she asked kindly. "We don't have to stay after to clean up or anything because the custodians take care of it. I'm sure they won't mind if we bring you along. You did help with decorations." She smiled. "Come on, it's free food."

He seemed to consider it much longer than she'd predicted. He put down his scissors and glanced at the clock. Eve watched him silently.

"Sure," he agreed, smiling in that faint way of his. 

************************************************************

Lily smiled and crossed her arms. She couldn't help it. She was happy. Damn happy. The Hall of Closed Records stood open before her, and people were running about the knowledge vault as if it was Heaven itself. 

From beside her, Fiona knocked twice on the great oak doors for good measure. "I guess this means what I hope it does."

Grinning, the two girls exchanged a gesture born from the memories of one fated boy… a messenger… a Receiver.

They high-fived.

************************************************************

A/N: I hope I'm not confusing anybody, not to insult your intelligence or anything. The framework for this story is coming along nicely in my mind. Tell me what you think so far.


	10. Let Her Go

A/N: Some advice? Get really quiet, moody, and pensive before reading. Thank you.

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The sun was just beginning to set over the western horizon when Jonas wandered out into the picnic area, his hamburger and chips balanced on the paper plate in his hand. The air was cool, and the orange sunlight settled on the scenery was giving him a sense of closure. Randomly, he sat down at a table and slowly began eating his dinner. He watched the sunset between bites, thinking. Always thinking.

The PTA dinner was carrying on in the gym, but he found he kept wanting to get away from crowds. Eventually, he would get to the point when conversations didn't make him feel like a newcomer, and crowds didn't make him uncomfortable. For now, he was always wandering off, alone. Always alone. The Chief Elder had said it herself. His selection as a Receiver would result in him being alone… apart. 

Eve placed a hand gently against the open door of the cafeteria, watching his back. He wanted to be alone. She could tell from the way he had disappeared from the gym after getting his food. She didn't blame him. She stood in place for the next few minutes, debating whether or not to ruin the peace. It was always she who interrupted him, wasn't it? 

"Why don't you sit down, Eve?"

The redhead blinked and glanced curiously about, wondering if she had made any sound that would have given her away. Jonas turned his head slowly, looking at her over his shoulder. That small, faint smile had found his features again. 

Eve stared at him. "How did you—"

"Just sit," he said, and his tone forbade any further questioning.

Flushing slightly, Eve walked the fair distance to his table and perched on the bench beside him, facing outward toward the sunset. Jonas held out his plate, but she shook her head. Come to think of it, he never did see her eat that much. A long silence ensued.

"Eve—"

"Jonas—"

They cut off, laughing nervously. She motioned with one hand. "You go."

"No, you."

It was that tone again. She didn't argue, but she did send him a tentative glance. "Okay…" she said slowly, gathering her thoughts. She had planned to continue the conversation they had started in the kitchen, but the sentences suddenly blurred together. The name _Fiona_ hung thickly in the air between them. Would it ever leave, Eve wondered silently.

"I didn't mean to sound offended," she said finally, and he knew exactly what she was referring to. He always did. "It's just…" she trailed off, eyes intent on the orange sunset, "You've been different since the first day of school. I didn't know if it was me or… Zack."

Jonas set his plate aside.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong," she went on, hands clasped in her lap. "But I didn't think you were really seeing me…" she quieted. "… When you looked at me."

Jonas stared at his own hands. The girl had her moments; he'd give her that much. Trying not to sigh, he watched the sunset. "… I wasn't," he agreed. A subtle guilt washed over him, and he felt the need to tell someone, _anyone_ what he had gone through mentally for the past two and a half months. "You don't know how it is, Eve. Everything I ever wanted them to understand would never happen. I could never go back."

He heard Eve shift beside him, but it was a momentary noise, and then she was quiet once more.

"Coming here, seeing the lights…" Jonas remembered with ease. "I thought I was past all that. I thought I had let go of everything gray and… given," he said softly. "But I saw you."

Eve bowed her head.

"And it came back." Jonas shook his head. "And I wanted it back," he swallowed. "I wanted them in this world. I wanted her in this world."

The sun sank behind the Reilyn Mountains. A late breath of air swept through the picnic area, and Eve hugged herself against the chill.

"It won't happen. It can't." Jonas looked at her. "I just have to learn to let it go."

The figure beside him was quiet for a long time. A cobalt blue sky settled over them, replacing the golden orange of the sun. Three stars twinkled. More would come. Luminus Middle School lay silent and dark atop Grecian's Hill overlooking the river. It was the same river that flowed to them.

"I understand," Eve said softly. 

Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard her voice. But perhaps it was only an echo.

__

End Part I

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****

INTERMISSION

To quote myself, get some coffee and read on. We're going four years forward, people. Move it on out.


	11. Life So Far

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She looked both ways before crossing the road, flanked on either side by friends. Like ants, students gravitated toward the front doors of Luminus High from the parking lot. Morning chatter rang in her ears from all directions, and she had to admit she liked the hustle and bustle of the last month of school.

He walked alone, just barely glancing at her familiar figure before stepping in the building. A snack cart had been set up in the front lobby, and students were crowding around the stand eagerly. He smiled a little and walked on by, shortly reaching the back lobby where his locker resided. However, walking up, he initially noticed a figure leaning against it, and held back a surprised look. She noticed him moments later.

"Hi."

"Hey," he replied smoothly. "What's up?"

"Oh," Mary shrugged, "nothing much."

He nodded, waiting.

"I just, uh…" she looked away in discomfort. "Did you get the paper?"

Jonas smiled, knowing she had just chickened herself out of some great confession, but he decided not to press it. Nodding, he leaned against the lockers next to her. "It's done; you don't have to worry about it."

"Okay," she said, not meeting his gaze. 

"So…" he went on. "You going to let me in my locker any time soon?"

"Oh!" she flinched away as if the metal had burned her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he smiled, working the lock. He slid her a glance out of the corner of his eye. At the cost of bringing up wounds, he asked, "How have you been?"

Mary shifted footing, looking out over the sea of students. "The same, I guess. You?"

"Wondering what you really came here for," Jonas said lightly, rearranging his notebooks with practiced ease. Beside him, Mary clutched her own books a little closer, a surprised flush rising on her cheeks.

"Oh…" she looked at her shoes, and Jonas took the moment to admire the shyness. She seemed so fragile. Even the most off-hand statement seemed to get to her. Most girls were so much more… promiscuous, to put it nicely. Maybe that was what had attracted him that March day.

"I just want you to know, no hard feelings."

Of course it was about that. They had broken up the week before, and mutually agreed to try and stay friends. But they hadn't spoken since that day, and of course she was starting to wonder why.

"I'm trying, I really am," she went on. "But it just seems like we're getting indifferent."

Jonas closed his locker with a satisfying clash of meeting metal and turned to her. "Come here," he said softly, kicking down the guilt rising within himself. She obeyed, and he placed a hand on her arm, resting his forehead against hers.

"In a perfect world, I would marry you and we'd move into a three-story house with a white picket fence, and have 2.5 kids," he said, earning a small smile from her. 

"It's not a perfect world," she reminded him quietly.

"No, it's not," Jonas agreed. He took a deep breath. "Mary, you're just too good for anybody, you know that?" 

She laughed, leaning back. "Don't start that again—"

"No hard feelings," he quoted her. "We're still friends, all right? Even if we don't shout out to each other every time we pass in the hall. Don't worry about me, okay?"

She smiled. "… Okay. Thanks for understanding."

"I'll see ya around," he said, letting go of her arm as she walked away, glancing over her shoulder at him. She disappeared into the crowd moments later, but he still looked after her as if he could pick her out with his eyes. Pressure landed on his left shoulder.

"Don't go down that road, Jonas. It just leads to a dead end."

He turned his head to observe the owner of the voice and smirked. "Not you again."

Eve placed a hand on her heart in mock offense. "After all these years, Jonas. Really, it hurts me to think you'd say something like that." She removed her elbow from its perch on his shoulder and looked in the crowd after the recently departed. "Treading on the familiar grounds?"

"Just reassuring," he answered, looking at his still-former housemate. The move back to Eve's had never actually taken place, and he'd stayed with Peter for the last four years. No one seemed to mind.

"Really, Jonas, the preacher's daughter?" Eve said, shaking her head. "Only you could date her, you goody-goody."

"It wasn't like that," he replied calmly. "She was… different."

Eve nodded gravely. "She's way too nice. Somebody's going to do that girl in one day."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Silently, Jonas considered his ex-girlfriend's reputation. She was definitely the most generous person he'd ever met. She was always volunteering for some charity or goodwill organization. Orphanages and soup kitchens were more than familiar to her. He supposed it was the religious upbringing, though he never voiced the judgement to anyone, especially her. 

Oddly enough, her name was actually Rosemary. Rosemary Sullivan. And she more than reminded him of _her_. The voice, the kindness, the reserved nature… it was all there. Bringing himself back to her was always bittersweet. The girlfriends in his four-year past in Luminus had always ended up paralleling to her, though never matching up. Even in his childhood, it hadn't been that strong of a feeling for her, and yet he always looked back on it with a fond nostalgia. Perhaps the fact that it was untouchable was what made it so meaningful.

Mary… that was just it. She was Mary. She wasn't… Fiona. 

The hallucinations still occurred from time to time. They weren't just about her; truth be told, the basketball court so many years before was the only time. Since then, his memories went to work whenever they damn well pleased, and sometimes in the most inconvenient of places. After the first few times, he realized they only came when he saw or heard something that would remind him of the community. Of course, with Eve around, he was reminded more than he would have liked.

Jonas looked to his left again. "What do you want, Eve?" he asked, starting a leisurely walk toward his first period. 

The redhead fell in step beside him and produced a white envelope from her shoulder bag. He watched with curiosity as she handed it to him. "Came to give you this. It was delivered to our mailbox yesterday."

Frowning, the Receiver turned the whiteness over and over in his hands. There wasn't a postage stamp, return address, or mailing address, for that matter, on the envelope. Alone in the center was his name, written in a neat script caught somewhere between cursive and print. 

"I didn't get it either," Eve read his thoughts, searching through her bag for something else. "I mean, you haven't lived with me and Mom since you came, but I thought all your friends knew that."

Jonas nodded absently, running his thumb over the ink.

"Maybe it's a secret admirer," Eve went on, finally fishing out a chocolate chip cookie suffocated by saran wrap. She peeled off the clear covering and offered him half. He took it without looking.

"I doubt it," he returned, stuffing the letter in his messenger bag. "I'm a goody-goody, remember?"

Eve grinned and bumped his shoulder with hers, no difficult task considering his eight-inch advantage over her. "Hey, some girls find that a turn on."

Jonas smiled. High school had sent them in different directions as far as friends were concerned, but it was hard to get away from her when he lived under the same roof as her sister and brother-in-law. Not to mention the fact that only so much pavement separated their houses. Over time, he had come to know her like no one else. The first six months had been a constant reminder of just how alone and apart he truly was from everyone else. Yet Eve had guided him, easily taught him the ways of life in her world. 

And the more he had gotten to know her, the more he saw the individual in her. She was no longer a reflection of his past, or anyone in his past. She was Eve Caparaso—the charismatic, spirited girl who had shown him the way. Looking at her no longer brought feelings of regret or desolate memories of someone else.

"I gotta go; I promised Mrs. Stephens I would talk to her this morning about finals," Eve said, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Sure. I'll see ya later," he waved her off with a small smile. 

Lunch made its debut at noon like it did everyday, and he took his usual trip to the library—not even high school could break that habit. Even after four and a half years, he was still learning, though more on his own experiences now, rather than Eve's guidance. There was always something else to learn about. Especially when it came to slang. It was nice to forget about precision of language for a little while, though he still spoke formally compared to his peers.

Phrases like, "What's up?" and "How you doin'?" were his limit. Everything else that came out of his mouth would have made any stereotypical British governess proud.

He was browsing the fiction shelves when he realized he was thirsty. He didn't trust school lunches (who does) and eating when he came home at 3:00 everyday had become routine. However, on some days he brought home a bottle of water… fruit punch… Pepsi…

Frowning, he dug through his messenger bag for his wallet and stumbled across the white envelope. Only this time there was an addition to it that he hadn't noticed before. Stuck loosely beneath the sealed flap was a laminated card with the words, Luminus High Student Body Secretary.

"What the…" Jonas muttered, sliding it out from under the flap. It was Eve's obviously, but how had it gotten into his bag? He replayed the morning scene in his head and remembered taking the envelope. However, he hadn't turned it over. The card must have caught on while in her bag.

Shrugging, the Receiver stuffed the letter back into his bag and set out for the cafeteria, both for a drink and Eve. Not that she would miss it, but while they were in the same building, he figured he could return it. He was halfway across the back lobby before he heard it.

Students were lounging comfortably, talking animatedly about anything and everything. However, it wasn't their normal chatter that caught his attention—perhaps the fact that they were speaking louder so they could be heard over the music coming from the open doors of the cafeteria. Quickly, he stuffed his bag in his locker and headed for the doors. 

"Hey Michael," Jonas said, stopping a passing friend. "Band or something?"

The shorter male nodded and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, something about it being the end of the year. Jazz band's in there. It's turning into a second Prom, man."

Smiling, Jonas walked on and peered in the double doors. Sure enough, the jazz band was seated before the tables in the large cafeteria, drumming and tooting away. It wasn't nearly as large as the school's marching band, with close to 120 people, but it was orchestrated that way. From a glance, Jonas guessed 50 in the jazz band. 

And sure enough, senior lunch had turned into a second Prom. A crowd of students was dancing in the open space of the cafeteria, and no one seemed to be complaining. Swing dancing they were not, but they had quite a time pretending they could. Some of them, anyway. 

He walked around, looking every which way for Eve. From a height of 6'2", it was easy to look out over the heads of everyone else, but none of those heads were red. He was so focused on the crowd that he didn't notice bumping right into someone of noticeably smaller stature.

"Jonas!"

"Oh, hey Kathryn," he said, smiling briefly. Yes, an entire semester of Pre-Calculus had been spent beside her. She was nice, but she always seemed to be dating the jerks.

"Dance with me?" she asked, though he hardly had time to answer because she had already taken his hand and was leading him into the throng of students. With a quick glance around, he followed her in and was all too quickly surrounded by the moving bodies of majority of the senior class. 

But he was laughing soon, turning the petite girl under his arm. "Is it like this in here everyday?" he asked, subtly keeping a lookout for Eve.

"Oh yeah," Kathryn nodded gravely, smiling. "Everyday."

"Hey girl," a familiar voice to their right said. "Can I steal him for a sec?"

"For a price," Kathryn winked at him, but was soon off with a group of friends. 

Jonas looked at Eve, remembering the fact that she really _could_ swing dance. But a mysterious little smile was on her face, and she reached for his hand.

"Come on, partner. You know I'd never pull out the real stuff unless it's the right place." She smiled a little. "What are you doing here?"

"You gave me this, this morning," he held her card out between two fingers. She took it with a raised eyebrow and then stuffed it in her pocket.

"Whatever," she said lightly. Her arms went around his shoulders, conspicuously bringing him close as they danced. She cast a swift glance around the room before saying in his ear, "I know something you should know."

Jonas laughed. "Really?" he mused.

"Mom's making lasagna. Wanna come?" 

"Don't we usually?" he replied easily. "That's the one thing I'll miss about this place."

"My mom's cooking?" Eve scoffed. "Actually, yeah, that's about it for me too. I'm so glad I'm going to college, because lord knows how long it's been since Diana got to leave."

The music ended, and the cafeteria clapped appreciatively as the band director flipped a sheet of music on his stand. His students imitated him, and before long, music filled the air once again. Jonas let his hands fall from Eve's waist.

"I have to go," he said quietly, though she could still hear him over the noise, surprisingly. "You know me and crowds."

She smiled sadly. "Do I ever."

He found himself in the lobby again, greeting passing teachers and friends with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two of the four principals standing in the lobby, surveying the scene. They always posed in the halls, walkie-talkies in hand as if they actually had important information to disclose. But there was another woman with them, her eyes unconsciously set on Jonas.

He looked away quickly, shaking off the cold stare. It was probably just his imagination

****************************************************

"Hey little guy!" Eve greeted Gabriel as he attached himself to her leg. She laughed, reaching down to hug him. "You get bigger every time I see you."

"You see him almost every other day, Eve," Diana informed her dryly, stepping in after him. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi," Rachelle greeted her train of guests. Jonas entered last, closing the door behind him. "You're just on time. Come on, let's eat before Eve bugs me anymore about making her wait."

"Nothing new there," Peter commented quietly, and Jonas was the only one to hear him.

"How was everyone's day?" Rachelle asked as soon as the lasagna had been passed around the table. 

"Fine," came four voices, Gabriel being too busy chewing a mouthful of food.

"Okay, I can see you're all a little preoccupied," Rachelle raised her eyebrows and dug into her own helping.

Eve swallowed her bite of food. "I don't have to take my English exam. Mrs. Stephens said anyone who hadn't missed three days is free to go once May 30 rolls around."

"Good to know," her mother answered. "And you, Jonas?"

"Physics," he answered. "State mandated."

"Oh god, I hated those," Diana threw in, taking a quick bite. "Little bubble sheets, right?"

Jonas smiled. "You bet."

The conversation spun off into Diana's work, full of financial terms and situations that both teenagers zoned out on. Eve glanced at Jonas across the table, but it hardly went unnoticed. He waited a few seconds after the action before speaking.

"What?"

She smiled at her food and took her sweet time answering. With a stab of her fork in the layered pasta, she looked up at him. "You're just nice to look at."

To her satisfaction, he blinked in surprise and returned his attention to his food. Jonas was so hard to rile. He always seemed so controlled and laid-back, and getting a facial expression out of him that wasn't a smile or a thoughtful frown was very rewarding. Ever since she had known him, his exterior just exuded… "coolness."

Every other girl seemed to agree. His first day of eighth grade, she remembered so many friends coming up to her with the same phrase. "God, Jonas is such a _fox_! I wish I lived down the street from him."

Eve had to admit, he really was. She had never told him until now, even though she was so straightforward about everything else. It was almost as if the lasagna was drugging her to speak her very soul.

"You're not so bad, yourself, Caparaso."

It was her turn to blink in surprise, and she watched the slow smile on his face. There! He had done it again! He had returned to that cool composure, turning the tables on her with mind-numbing ease. Would she ever corner him?

"Hmp," was her only reply, and she realized too late how lame it sounded.

She was still thinking about it when she climbed under her covers that night, glancing at the picture frame on her night table. It was of her, Diana, Peter, and Jonas, all at the annual company picnic last year. 

"Too nice to look at," she said softly. She reached over and turned off her lamp.

******************************************************

He heard her come up behind him and briefly lifted his coffee mug to his lips. "Have a nice time?" he inquired politely.

"Oh, just lovely," she answered, selecting the chair opposite his and faced him across the glass table between them. She gave a small sigh. "We might want to move in sooner than we planned."

"Why?"

"I had the sudden idea that someone inside might be trying to reach him. A girl."

The man tilted his head. It was more than an idea if she was even bothering to mention it to him. It meant it was true. "One of the originals?"

"Probably the girl the committee would have chosen to be his wife had he not escaped." 

He considered. "How did she do it?"

"Oh, surely you don't have to ask," his partner leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs. "Elsewhere is easy to know a thing or two about if you make nice with the truck crews. I'm sure she did."

Another sip of coffee later, he leaned forward and placed it on the table with a _chink_ of porcelain. "Fine then. He gets the news one way or another. What matters is how he reacts."

"I'll put Libby on it."

"No."

"No?"

"No more watching. He'll come here next."

"And the twin?"

"Oh, she can come along. Everybody needs a history lesson after all this time, don't you think?" And with that, he nodded to the adjoining room. "You know where I am if you need me."

"Fine."

They stood and left the room through different doors.

*****************************************************

A/N: Ooh, I love developing story. It gives me a sense of dramatic irony, knowing that I know my story and you don't. Hehe. Just stick around then! Till next time…


	12. You Can't Go Back

******************************************************

The final bell sounded, cueing hordes of students from their classrooms.

Jonas pulled his physics book from his bag and slid it in his locker beside his other notebooks. Finally, a night without homework. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a luxury. Bracing his literature book between his hip and the open door of his locker, he rummaged through the open notebook in his other hand for the drawing he had doodled in second period. Perhaps Gabe would want to color it when he got home.

"Do you want to go for a walk along the river?"

The notebook fell from his hands, followed by the crash of his literature book as it plopped loudly against the floor. Heads turned in curiosity.

"Whoa, spaz," Eve said, holding out both hands with a smile. "Chill out, it was just a question."

Jonas tried to breathe normally. "Sorry," he said quickly, crouching to retrieve the scattered papers. The redhead imitated him, taking his literature book and a stray pencil. 

"It's just…" Jonas started, and Eve looked at him inquiringly. He shook his head. "Forget it."

They stood in unison.

"Well, since it's such a nice day," Eve said after a moment, glancing up through the skylights. "I thought you might come with me."

Jonas shifted footing and finished putting his books away. He had said no all those years ago. But would he say yes now? Blissfully ignorant, Eve tilted her head, watching him.

"No thanks," he said finally. "I just want to go home… spend some time with Gabe, you know."

"Sure," she said, nodding. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Okay."

Surprising both of them, she stepped forward and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Bye," she said quietly before walking away. Jonas resisted lifting a hand to his cheek, but a knit brow found its way to his face. He knew her to put an arm around him, or slug him for some off-hand comment but she had never kissed him before, chaste as it had been.

He looked after her, veil of carmine hair flying behind her. A familiar urge crept up in him, but he forced it down a moment later.

"Don't go down that road, Jonas," he quoted, turning away. "It just leads to a dead end."

********************************************

"Report."

"I found her."

"And?"

"Fiona's still in. Eve was the one who escaped eighteen years ago."

"Excellent. Dismissed."

*********************************************

"I told you, you could never figure them out," Peter said, placing the boxes of food on the top shelf of the pantry. "Just take Diana and I."

Jonas glanced up from his seat on the floor.

"We've been married, what, four years now? And she still puts the salt," he grabbed the round container, "where the sugar's supposed to go." He switched the items with a hearty plop.

Jonas smiled. Across the living room from him, Gabriel kicked the bouncy neon green ball back to him, and he blocked it expertly with his leg. It was a common floor game between them—sitting soccer, Diana had named it.

"And Eve," Peter continued, his voice carrying across from the kitchen. He came around to watch the two. "She can be inconsiderate at times."

"Yeah," Jonas laughed humorlessly. 

"She does whatever she feels like doing; no tact, no foresight of the consequences. So the day she decides to get a little friskier, you just have to expect things like that from her," Peter finished, biting thoughtfully into an apple. 

"I suppose," Jonas said slowly.

"Girls have cooties," Gabriel piped up suddenly, his five-year-old self grinning happily across the room.

Both Jonas and Peter smiled, and Jonas rolled the ball back to him. "Thanks, Gabe. I'll keep that in mind."

The front door opened. "Hello?"

"Hey Diana," they greeted her as she breezed in through the archway. Out of the corner of his eye, Jonas noticed that it was nearing six o'clock. 

"I really don't feel like cooking, so do you guys wanna eat out in Washington?" she asked, putting her purse down. She gave Gabriel a brief kiss on the top of his fair head.

"How about you two go?" Jonas suggested suddenly, looking back and forth between the couple. "Gabe and I can hold down the fort."

"Are you sure, Jonas?" came Peter's surprised voice.

"Yeah. Aren't we?" he kicked the ball to the small figure across the room.

"Sure!" Gabriel chirped, blocking the ball. The three adults were sure he wasn't even aware of the question, but Diana nodded slowly.

"Okay…" she looked to her husband. "We'll be back later tonight, then."

"Have a nice time," Jonas called to their disappearing figures. The front door closed with finality, and moments later, the roar of Peter's car was heard as it drove off for the main road. Gabriel ran over to the window and looked out with big eyes. 

"Are you hungry?" Jonas asked him, rising from the carpet.

"Yeah!" came the delighted answer, but his little foot was caught in something, and Jonas turned around just in time to see his little brother tumble to the carpet. He winced and walked over to him quickly.

"You all right?" he asked, pulling him to his feet.

Gabriel pouted, shaking his foot from the strap of Jonas' messenger bag. "Dumb bag," he stuck his tongue out at it, and Jonas had to smile.

"That's my dumb bag, Gabe," he informed, pushing the little figure in the direction of the kitchen. "Go tell me what we have, all right?"

Without further argument, Gabriel ran from the room and was soon heard opening and closing the drawers in the kitchen. Jonas bent to retrieve his bag, but a splash of white against the brown carpet caught his eye. Curious, he reached for it and recognized it as the letter Eve had given him the day before. He'd completely forgotten about it.

He figured it must have fallen out when Gabriel took the spill. With a quick glance toward the kitchen, Jonas seated himself on the nearest couch and again read his name on the envelope. Even yesterday when he had looked at it, he couldn't help but think he knew the handwriting. Perhaps in another form… maybe it had evolved a little, but his mind wouldn't give him a satisfying answer.

Shrugging, he tore open the sealed flap and pulled out the single sheet of folded paper.

***********************************************************

By the time the doorbell rang, Eve could tell whoever was standing on the other side of the door had been trying to get her attention for a while. Knocking clearly hadn't done the job. Surprised, the teenager put down her plate and furiously downed the volume of the music thumping through her house. She had tendency to turn it up louder than the phone or the doorbell when she was home alone.

Her hurry to the front door, however, was not without accident.

"Ow! Dammit!" she pushed off the wall and limped the remainder of the way to the foyer. Toe stubbing always seemed so hilarious when it happened to someone else. A little breathless, she wrenched open the front door and was met with—

"Jonas!"

He walked by her without a greeting, his jaw set. "Where do you keep your flashlights?"

Eve blinked and watched him stride through her kitchen. "What?"

"Your flashlights, Eve. I need them," he said again, and his voice had taken on a menacingly serious tone.

"What's wrong, Jonas?" Eve asked slowly, observing him carefully.

"I don't have time to explain," he said, moving to the hall. 

Eve followed him, confusion lacing her features. "Jonas, what happened? Is Gabe okay? Is he sick?"

"He's fine," came the terse answer. She watched him flip on the lights to the storage room. The shelves were lined with old boxes and tools, flashlights among them, but she hardly felt like giving him exactly what he wanted at that point.

"Then why are you acting like someone's out to kill you?" she went on, following him in. When he didn't answer, she tried again. "Maybe I can help… Jonas?"

"You can't," he said, glancing at her. "Not this time."

"Then at least tell me what's going on," she persisted, getting edgy. "Jonas, please, you're scaring me."

"You can help by stopping the questions," he answered, having located the flashlights. He breezed by her again, heading for his old room. "I don't have time to tell you."

What had happened to him? What had the imposter in front of her done with the real Jonas? He was usually so calm and collected, and now he rummaged through her house as if he would face the guillotine in the morning. Eve shook her head slightly, still bewildered.

"How do you know I can't help?" she asked, entering the room after him. She watched as he took a few shirts from the dresser. "Maybe I can, but you have to tell me what's going on." Lord help her, she was close to shouting. "Jonas, please, what am I suppose to do—read your mind?"

He reached into his pocket in one swift motion and pressed a folded sheet of paper against her with more force than necessary. "Read that."

And he was gone again, heading for the living room. Eve held the paper against her heart in surprise, looking after him. What in the world was going on? 

Confusion increasing, she fumbled with the letter and managed to focus on the unfamiliar script.

__

Dear Jonas,

Can I say I don't think we ever really knew each other? Though it would make sense to think that I knew you after twelve years of being your best friend. I was number eighteen, you were number nineteen—we were close in every way, it seemed. 

Things have changed, Jonas. I've changed, so much that it frightened me at first. Everything happened so fast and so differently from what I had always known. Suddenly the Committee wasn't there, rules and regulations weren't there… and you weren't there. 

I realized that I didn't know you at all back then, and that now you don't know me either. Our innocence, our childhood, both locked in a past that doesn't exist anymore. I understood too late. I never had the chance to live, to finally feel what it was like to be free by your side. But I'm not writing to remind you of the past

The Giver has died. You left to give us the chance to live, and accepted the fact that you could never come back. Even now, if you don't care about us, about saving whatever humanity we've created out of your memories, I know you care about him. We did, too. More than anything, he would want you to remember him. 

I'm not asking for anything from you. I wouldn't. It's been four years, Jonas, and we both know the truth now. Even if we don't know each other, and even if you never want to see me again, I'll know it was you who taught me how to love.

Fiona

Eve went cold. Unconsciously, her hand began to shake, rattling the paper. The clash of drawers opening and closing brought her back to reality, and she suddenly realized what the words in front of her meant.

"Jonas!" she shouted, taking off down the hall and facing him in the living room. "You can't go back."

"I have to," he contested.

"Jonas, you're walking into your grave if you go back!" Eve came around the sofa. "You don't know if they're waiting to—"

"Fiona wouldn't lie to me," he cut her off.

"You left because you wanted to live," Eve reminded him bluntly, trying to use his own reason to stop him. "You told me you could never go back."

"That was before," he answered, shaking his head. "She said things have changed. I can't stay here when I know he's never coming back. I have to see him."

"Is that what he would have wanted?" Eve challenged. "Jonas, there isn't anything you can do—"

"I could never make you understand," he said quietly. "Just promise me you won't tell anyone where I've gone."

Her mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you're asking me that. And where are Diana and Peter?"

"Eve, I can take care of myself," he ignored her question. "Please don't try to stop me."

Desperate, the next words out of her mouth sent both of them reeling. "Then I'm coming with you."

"No!" Jonas said firmly.

"You think I don't understand?" Eve went on, shaking the paper in her hand. "This is my _sister_, Jonas!" Breathing heavily, she met his glare. "I'm going with you."

A full second of silence permeated the air.

"No one's going anywhere, darling," came an unknown voice. Both of them looked sharply to the entrance as Eve dreadfully remembered leaving the front door wide open. A woman in a gray business suit stepped through the opening. "Unless it's with me," she finished calmly. 

A small mechanical device was attached to her hand, and she closed her fingers around it, pushing a very important red button. A moment later, she watched as both teenagers collapsed to the floor in a dead sleep.

*************************************************

When she woke, she automatically winced against the bright light. She lifted a hand, shielding her eyes, and tried unsuccessfully to sit up. A throbbing pain settled on the back of her neck, and her right temple was pounding in protest. Oh, what she would give for two Tylenol and a glass of water.

The lights dimmed suddenly, and her hand dropped, coming to rest on her stomach. For a brief moment, her vision blurred, but the lessening intensity of the lights gave her more focus. She rose to one elbow and looked questioningly around the room.

It was a large room with stainless metal walls and only one large door in the corner. She was lying on a bed on some sort, vaguely resembling an examining table or hospital bed. Above her, metal pots of light hung from the high ceiling like a dentist office. The rest of the room was bare of any furniture, with the exception the high-backed chair in which the only other person in the room perched lightly on.

"Hello, Eve."

Her memory clicked, and she had to blink twice before speaking. Even then, her voice sounded weak. "Where am I?"

"More important than where," the woman said, standing and walking toward her, "is why. And you will find out soon enough."

It was her—the woman who had walked in her house at that agonizing moment. She wasn't wearing the suit or the sure expression any longer, but the same pile of brown hair and blue eyes stared back at her. A long, white lab coat hung on her tall figure, and the small, silver name plate below her collar bone was unreadable across the distance between them. 

"What did you do to me?" Eve asked, wishing she could back away.

A small smile formed on the woman's face. "I'm not here to hurt you, if that's what you mean." She raised one hand, and Eve followed its path, noticing the same mechanical device still settled there. "In fact, you should start feeling better right about…" Her index finger pushed a button. "Now."

Eve blinked in astonishment as her headache faded into oblivion, and the dull ache on the back of her neck disappeared. "… W-what—"

"Vibration stimulation," the woman answered automatically. "The chip responds immediately to the electrical impulses sent off by this little gadget."

Eve swallowed. "… Chip?" she echoed softly.

"Chip," her elder answered. She glanced at the far wall and, for the first time, seemed anxious. Under a veil of patience, she turned back to Eve. "My name is Collette Sheele. I think you'll find your past very interesting."

With a new strength, Eve stood abruptly from the bed and took a step back. "Jonas," she said suddenly, "where is he?"

"In a moment, right beside you," Collette answered. Another press of a button, and the room faded away, distorting into pixelage. Eve glanced around wildly, unsteady on her feet, but soon met with another figure with a force that sent them crashing to the floor.

"A graceful entrance, indeed," said yet another unknown voice, male this time.

Both teenagers scrambled to their feet, suddenly aware of their new surroundings. They looked to each other in confusion, and then to the pair standing before them. Collette spoke next.

"Listen, and all your questions will be answered."

*****************************************************

A/N: Yay, I broke 100 reviews! Thanks, you guys! And how's this for a turning point in the story, hm? I know it seems unrealistic right now, but I'll make it make sense.


	13. The Community Project

************************************************

The room vaguely resembled the one they had just left. Taking one long second to glance at her surroundings, Eve surveyed the same metal walls, bed, and chair that her previous destination had. This room was bigger, however, and the light seemed a bit more intense. Everything was metal as far as she could see, and the desk near the front of the room had only a single phone receiver on it. She supposed the dialing panel was hidden. It all seemed to be out of some bleak, science fiction novel, and she had to pinch herself.

"Who are you?" was the first statement out of Jonas's mouth. It was the only one he cared to voice at that point.

Collette went to sit on the desk and produced a clipboard seemingly from nowhere. "Dr. Collette Sheele, and this is my associate, Dr. Robert Linley."

"Pleasure," the man answered, nodding at Jonas.

Eve could almost feel the confusion radiating from him. Truth be told, he had not been expecting such a straightforward answer. Briefly, she wondered if the man had told Jonas about the chip…

"And we have been waiting a long time to meet you," Collette went on, tilting her head. "Receiver of Memory."

A cold silence rang through the room.

Jonas tried not to demand answers. He had a strong feeling that the two people in front of him had vast amounts of knowledge that could help or hurt him. One way or another, his past did have a way of sneaking up on him. The Giver, Fiona… even Eve.

"Follow us," Robert said, and without another word, the two adults left the room through the large metal door in the corner. 

"What are we doing here, Jonas?" Eve asked softly, looking at him.

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I have the feeling they're about to tell us."

"You actually trust these people?" Eve hissed. "How do you know we're not in some weird cyber sleep right now, and they're performing some kind of test—"

"Eve, you trust me, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then come on."

The halls were white. From the floor to the ceiling, everything was a snowy white. It made her all the more nervous. What were the two "doctors" walking in front of her planning to do, anyway? And what was that nonsense about a chip? 

Various doors lined the seemingly endless hallway, and they all looked identical to Eve, but Collette pushed another button on the device in her hand, and a panel to their left slid open. Silently, the four of them walked in.

"Do you ever wonder who the creators were behind your world, Jonas?"

The question was lost in the hiss of machines as the Receiver stepped into a colossal room that reminded him vaguely of the engineering level of a ship. Giant machines towered above their heads, all humming and droning. They were on a bridge of some sort which descended into stairs. Various platforms traveled up and down the length of the circular room, carrying more lab-coat clad workers.

Eve swallowed and pinched herself again. 

The floor was countless feet below, but the hologram projected from the floor devices was large enough to see from their perch.

"The community," Jonas said, recognizing all too well the similarly designed neighborhood houses and the Central Plaza where the House of the Old and the Annex were. Eve glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Your community," Collette agreed, leading the way down the stairs. "We could show you another if the sight of it displeases you."

Her tone was amused, Eve took note. They reached the ground level and Collette continued after receiving silence from Jonas. His gaze seemed intently focused on the hologram in front of them, totaling the space of a one-story house, at the least. Houses, recreation centers, and school buildings decorated the flat piece of land, and Eve squinted slightly in realization. This was what the community looked like? This was where Jonas had grown up?

"Haunting, isn't it?"

Jonas looked momentarily at Collette, his eyes betraying no emotion. A moment later, he returned to the hologram, eyes traveling over the eastern end of the town. His house was settled nicely where it had always been. Eve followed his eyes, and guessed the rest.

Collette pressed another button and the three-dimensional projection vanished. "Don't think you were living in virtual reality," she said suddenly. "How would you have escaped, then?"

"Who are you people?" Jonas asked. He had the feeling he already knew the answer.

So did Eve.

"Two of a group of United States government researchers who continued the vision of Thomas Moore's Utopia," Collette answered finally, somehow incorporating a whole wealth of meaning into that one simple phrase. The brunette had the courage to smile slightly. She pressed another button. "Let's have a lesson, then."

Very suddenly, the machines above seemed a world away, and the space around them seemed to close in. Perhaps it was. At this point, Eve couldn't tell the difference between her true surroundings and the virtual reality that was being created in front of her. Twenty-one-fifty it may have been, but she had never seen technology so advanced. Living in small-town Luminus had never exposed her to the other, more advanced side of humanity.

"New York City, 2030," Collette said, and the new hologram showed the heart of the metropolis as it had been. The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty stood proudly amongst the other skyscrapers. However, looking at it, Eve had to admit that it had changed immensely in the last century. For one, the city was domed now, due to the atmosphere. Only the largest cities in the world had received such treatment, and everyone in Luminus was soon waiting for Washington D.C. to go under.

"Pinnacle of American pride," Collette went on, walking around the hologram as she spoke. She turned to the two teenagers suddenly and motioned with one hand. "And do sit. This could take a while."

Perhaps for the first time since entering, both Jonas and Eve noticed the black leather armchairs situated behind them, almost as if they had appeared on command. Maybe they had.

Slowly, they looked at each other before sitting. Collette nodded and glanced at Robert, who stood on the opposite side of the hologram, observing New York City with a guarded eye. Then, he too, sat in a black leather armchair that seemed to materialize behind him.

"Los Angelos, same year," Collette pressed another button, and the hologram morphed flawlessly into another cityscape. "Glamour and fame on the mind of everyone there. Two of the most populated cities in the world, on opposite ends of the superpower that was and is, the United States of America."

Eve noticed a small shift in Jonas's posture. 

Collette looked at them through the transparent projection. "They would be the breeding grounds for a movement known as The Second Enlightenment. The ideals of the First started America, and the Second would almost guarantee the end of it." 

Press. The earth spun slowly on an invisible axis.

"Peace in the Middle East occurred in 2023, but the new government established by the American supporters wasn't going to work in a Semitic background of conservative values. The research to construct a political system that would have the Middle East as a big player in world trade, because of their oil, was extensive. All over the country, specialized government groups started to feed off the idea of a Utopia."

Press. The community.

"An organized civilization where there was no hunger, no pain, and no time. Everything worked like clockwork." Collette circled the hologram slowly. "The teams in New York and Los Angelos were the first to propose the idea. Rather than letting humanity's self expression continue with a group of people who would never advance with the rest of the world, they sought to destroy them." Her voice quieted the slightest fraction. "Turn them into nothing but obedient clones."

"Of course there was objection. Radicals turned up in every major U.S. city, and almost succeeded in overthrowing the government. There certainly were enough of them."

Press. The Capitol.

"Even after the leaders were tried for treason, the ideals stayed alive in the government. Their curiosity to try and create such a perfect world would inspire massive amounts of stem-cell research. If, indeed, a community built on genetically engineered human beings could survive, they could prove to the world that cloned humanity equaled production."

"Dr. Ivan Trojanovich," Collette continued after an orchestrated pause. "Pioneer for the Community Project, approved by the U.S. top secret division 34762 on March 13, 2031. Twenty-five square miles of land to be cleared for construction. To be constructed within 100 miles of Washington, D.C., and kept to the knowledge of only one individual outside the confines of the Infrastructure. Juliana Hunter." 

"The first cloned human being," Robert spoke for the first time since entering. 

"She was created before the communities were, and therefore not capable of being put in. But she knew of her disposition, and her secret could only reach so many eyes. Even now, as we speak, there is only one person in Washington, D.C. who knows about the Community Project, over 100 years since its beginning." Collette motioned with one hand above them. "Countless people here, but we have been born into this Infrastructure. And we have only left it to pursue the very person who matters most in the Community Project."

Her gaze landed on Jonas. 

"So they created a world where there was no pain, no fear, and no war." Another press and the community sprung again from the holographic projection. "They bred the humans, they gave them the rules, and they sat back and watched them govern themselves for 115 years. They really were perfect. A genetic scientist couldn't have asked for better subjects."

Jonas felt his hands fist as he tried to hold back his instinct.

"Of course, nothing is fact until proven once, twice, a hundred times over." Collette switched to another community. "The scientists built twelve of them, all picture perfect towns to reflect the ideals of the 1950's. The rules and regulations varied with each community, but they were all built on the one principle that would give communism a completely new definition."

"The project was flawless. The community and everything about the way it functioned was meticulously planned out by Trojanovich and his researchers. In a world that knew only discipline, an emotion like love was not needed. Taking out things like poverty and crime was balanced with taking out the pleasures. And out of this emotionless medium came the mindset that was built into every human being ever born into the communities."

"Except for one," Collette finished, again looking intently at Jonas. "Except for the one light-eyed, fated child who would be responsible for carrying a memory that spanned hundreds of years."

Eve glanced at Jonas and noticed a faint sadness in his eyes. Still, they shined like two stars in the night sky.

"The Receiver was not an original concept in the first version of the communities," Collette explained. "After a brief trial in the early 2030's, Trojanovich's team was reminded of why the Community Project was created in the first place. It was to see if engineered humans could survive in a world that taught no humanistic knowledge and prohibited such."

"Every system has its glitches. The question was, even if one individual somehow acquired the ability to learn the truth, would the community still function? They wanted an answer, and so the Receiver was created."

"Potentials were also created, of course, to see if the truth could spread and the light-eyed, knowledgeable individuals would rise up and rebel. It never happened. Not once." Collette sighed. "Not in 115 years did the Receivers or any of the potentials try to change the communities. They just ran from it."

Collette eyed Jonas. "Like you. Like Diana, like Peter…"

Eve's heart twisted.

"Or they ended their confusion the only way they knew how." Collette ran her thumb over a random button on her handheld device. "Like Rosemary and Amy…" she trailed off, staring at the hologram. "But Alexander was different."

Jonas looked up.

Collette smiled, neither cruelly nor comfortingly. "Yes, your Giver, Jonas. He was the first to try and change the communities. And through you, much less. You left, and you gave them your memories to try and open their minds… to make them understand what it was to live." 

An awful silence filled the air.

"You succeeded," she finished quietly, staring purposefully at Eve, then Jonas. "Everything you have ever known about the community has changed, Jonas." The same smile surfaced once again. "Climate Control, Sameness… back and back and back."

Jonas closed his eyes against the ache of hearing the words again. The Giver, the Receiver… they were just mere creations set in his colorless past? Their very existence was granted because a group of scientists wanted to observe communities of perfect human beings in hopes of claiming the fact that it was possible? He felt used, vulnerable, and… controlled.

"How is that possible?"

Both Collette and Robert turned in surprise at the question. Eve met their stares, her voice characteristically strong. Even Jonas stared at her now with a hint of surprise. 

"How does a world like that change… just because its people have memories of the real world?" Eve asked, her eyes focused on the hologram.

"Imagine that," Collette said wondrously, looking at Robert. Comfortably, she rested one arm on the projection of the Auditorium as if it was a solid object. Surprisingly, her arm didn't fall through, but was propped up in the same way any hard substance would.

"A world where built around its inhabitants without color, weather, or feeling, and the only thing they have to do to change it is… think it," Collette finished, still looking at Robert with the same amused wonder in her voice. He shrugged back at her. "I'm sure you understand better than anyone else, Jonas," she switched her gaze, "that fate rests solely in one's own hands."

"The Community Project was created for human beings to observe a perfect version of themselves. Or, as near perfect as one could possibly get," Robert said, coming off his seat. He circled the hologram slowly until he reached Collette's side. "If they found a way to govern themselves separate from the system through things such as the Receiver's memories, Trojanovich's team wanted to allow it to see what kind of government a cloned race could create, and whether or not it would all circle back around to returning to the real world."

"The same virtual AI that was used to create the communities and give the impression of a sunless sky, or a colorless world was controlled by the inhabitants the entire time. If they ever thought outside the box," Collette paused, searching for her words. "… then the world around them would change accordingly. They just never did until you left."

She wasn't aware of when her hand had moved to cover her mouth, but Jonas then looked to his right and found a very shaken Eve, whose eyes had taken on a sunken look. She was trying not to faint. He probably wasn't looking any better. All of it was coming down on her unknowing, protected self, and she was most likely thinking about Fiona. Her own sister had been subject to such a world.

"I think we can close up shop for today," Collette said finally, after a long silence. The words, 'sink in' suddenly had a new meaning to the two teenagers in front of her. 

"Wait," Jonas said, standing.

But Collette had already pressed a button on the mechanism in her hand, and watched as the pair once again fell into a dead sleep. 

"They may live in the real world, but they're still just machines," Collette said, kneeling to inspect Jonas. Carefully, she brushed his hair from his forehead in an unconsciously motherly gesture.

Robert eyed her carefully. "Machines who can think. They're not going to like us any more when they wake up again."

"It doesn't matter what they like—it's the truth, and I gave it to them." She was looking at Jonas oddly, however. After a moment, she sat back on her heels and glanced at her partner. "But I can't really blame them. What would it be like to wake up one day and find out you were just a science experiment…"

Without warning, a side panel on their level slid open with an accompanying electronic beep. Two more doctors strolled in, well into conversation, but stopping abruptly when they noticed what they had walked in on.

"Libby, David," Collette said, getting to her feet. "Just the people I wanted to see. Take these two to C deck, will you? With their programming, they'll be up again in less than an hour."

"And put them in the same room," she added, almost as an afterthought. Then she turned to Robert. "You know where I'll be."

"As always," he answered off-handedly, watching as she exited through another door. Smiling slightly, he observed the hologram of Jonas's community and shut it off a moment later with his own handheld device. 

"Only machines," he said softly. He exited through another door.

Silently, a hidden panel identical to the metal wall opened, and the black armchairs rolled themselves into the darkness. A moment later, the panel closed.

*********************************************************

A/N: My god… do I sound like the Matrix, or what? I swear on any holy scripture you throw at me, I had this plot (roughly) last summer when I started this fic. 

Ahem. Ready for questions. But if you're going to flame me, please use email. 

Till next time…..


	14. Falling For the Other One

A/N: I'm surprised nobody caught what I was trying to set up with Collette's line, "And put them in the same room."

That got your attention, didn't it? Hehe. ^_^

*********************************************************

Diana blinked, reaching up with one hand to rub the back of her neck. She glanced at Peter in the driver's seat, her expression becoming confused at his similar movement.

"Did your neck just start hurting?" she asked.

Peter glanced at her. "How'd you know?"

"Because mine did too," she said slowly. "Kind of like an ache?"

"Yeah," her husband agreed, rubbing the tense spot. His brow creased. "How did both our necks start hurting at the same time?"

Diana shrugged, moving her head back and forth slowly, working out the kinks. "Don't know."

They looked at each other, bewildered. It was quite a coincidence. Perhaps too much of one. Yet, a moment later, the ache disappeared, replaced only by the silence in the car as they drove back to Luminus from their outing.

Their eyes met again.

"It stopped," they chorused, eyes wide.

Diana blinked, running a hand lightly across her collar bone and back around to her nape, trying to call back the feeling. But it was gone just as suddenly as it had come. "That's weird," she mused softly.

Peter nodded. "I could say something really romantic right now, you know," he informed her, smile widening.

Diana rolled her eyes. "We're soul mates and we go through everything together," she offered.

"Can you think of a better explanation?" Peter asked, turning off the freeway onto their exit.

"No," his wife responded honestly. The crease in her brow wouldn't quite go away, however. Frowning slightly, she looked out her window. The rest of the drive passed in puzzled silence.

*********************************************************

__

Perhaps in another world you were meant to live. You were meant to achieve great things, and love the woman of your choice. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love…

Jonas woke with a start, his eyes coming into perfect focus. The room was like all the others he had seen so far; metal, four-walled, and cold. The only other difference was a second bed, which lay empty against the opposite wall.

"We've gotta get that thing off her hand."

He turned his head slowly to see Eve sitting in a high-backed, metal chair, her legs crossed, head tilted, arms positioned so that she observed the polish on her nail with ease.

Jonas blinked, sitting up straighter as he swallowed. "Yeah…"

A momentary silence.

"I think I know how she's doing it," Eve went on. "Before she explained everything to us, she said something about a chip—" 

Jonas looked up sharply.

"And how it responds to the little gadget in her hand." Eve reached up to rub the back of her neck. "I think it's right here, too. Every time she puts us to sleep, my neck—"

"Feels like it's being broken?" Jonas supplied. When Eve nodded, he sighed. "Me too."

"What do you think they did to us?" Eve craned her neck from side to side, as if the momentary pain was still lingering.

Jonas paused suddenly, a cold realization sweeping over him. "You said 'chip', didn't you?" he asked. Eve stared at him, invisibly answering his question. "I have a feeling we were born with it."

"What?"

Jonas massaged one temple, piecing the puzzle slowly. "You and me, Eve, we both had the same beginning. It wouldn't surprise me if they had chips in everybody who was ever born into the communities."

"But… why?" Eve squinted.

Jonas stared at the space of floor ahead of him. "Control. You see how she keeps putting us to sleep. We're programmed." A wry smile peeked out from his features. "Not even running away can change that."

A long silence ensued, during which Eve was sure she uncomfortably shifted over twenty times. Jonas stared at his hands, thinking… always thinking.

"They knew about the Giver. And they knew I would come back," Jonas said finally. "They knew to stop me, to stop us, before we could even leave Luminus. But why would they tell me now?" It was almost a statement.

"… Do you believe her?" Eve asked softly, looking at her former housemate. There was no question as to what there was to believe. 

He shook his head, not in answer, but in distress. "She knows too much about it to be lying. It makes perfect sense after you get over the shock."

"But what about us?" Eve persisted. "How did she even know where we live, and everything about you getting out…?"

Jonas, instead, was only lead to another train of thought. "All this time… people in the community couldn't stop us, but _they_ knew the whole time," he said, almost to himself. Eve sat quietly, watching him. "It's like… watching to see if your science project can self-destruct."

The redhead opposite him raised one eyebrow.

"The only reason why the communities still exist is because they want it that way. With my memories, Collette said everything had changed. Now that they know the truth, they're being watched to see if they end up like…" he trailed off.

"The real world," Eve said shortly, silently agreeing.

"And what if they do?" Jonas went on. "There would be no point, and they would have failed in their mission to prove that clones could survive if they knew imperfections."

Eve blinked. "You don't think they would…"

Jonas scowled. "Theirs to make, theirs to break," he mumbled softly.

Eve closed her eyes momentarily, thinking of her twin sister. She had never felt so useless in all her life, her entire existence. Over the years, Diana had told her more and more about the community, but never to the depth at which Collette had explained it. Which made sense, obviously. Even if Diana and Peter had been potentials and managed to escape, they didn't know anything past the fact that the community _just wasn't right_. 

Lifting her eyes, Eve stared at Jonas for a long moment. "… I always knew stem-cell research was going to get some funding and mess with some heads," she said, glancing around the room. Indeed, the "Infrastructure," as Collette had called it, was so sleek and polished, she was beginning to think it was yet another virtual reality. Government funding, indeed.

"And all this time, I was one of those heads," she finished slowly, tracing the bare floor with her eyes.

"You and me both," came Jonas. Since there was no other chair in the room, he stayed on the bed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"We're just projects, Eve," he said softly, thinking of the community. Thoughts of the Giver surfaced in his mind, and a sadness came over his features. Eve didn't miss it. 

"Everything and everybody in the communities…" Jonas shook his head, "We were just a scientific side show for the government."

Eve's heart twisted, and the wall that had always separated them in the sense of the knowing and the unknowing was thicker than ever. How she wished she could break through it once and for all.

"You're different," she offered eventually. 

Jonas gazed blankly at the far wall. "I'm still just a creation."

The redhead smiled. "I don't mean in the sense of your beginning, Jonas."

He looked at her. 

"You were the Receiver. You were given the chance to know the truth, and you took it." Eve hesitated before continuing. "Have you really been happy these past four, five years?"

He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from her. She believed him.

"It isn't about where you came from, or all the genetic research put into making you. You as a person, your character… it's all there." Eve rose and approached him, watching as he followed her movement with his eyes. "You started out as a few cells in a syringe, but none of that matters now."

Jonas stared at her.

She plunged on, not knowing where the words were coming from, but wanting to go on so as not to seem flustered. And why _was_ she flustered? "They can't control your emotions or personality. You're Jonas, not a robot with a serial number."

Jonas still stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

Her eyes softened. "… Not to me," she finished quietly.

A surge of emotion pulsed violently through his veins, propelling him forward. Eve barely had time to blink before he braced a hand behind her neck, bringing her close and dropping his mouth on hers. She gasped softly, flinching. Jonas didn't relinquish his hold. Surprise—mind-blowing shock—held her stiff, but not for long. Eve gave into the kiss slowly, reaching up to lace her fingers through his at her neck. 

Her mind whirled. She was kissing Jonas—no, Jonas was definitely kissing her. The soft pressure of his lips moved gently over hers. She had imagined moments like this before, but only because she had the same raging hormones every other seventeen-year-old had. But this was Jonas, and he had always been just a friend to her… hadn't he?

Seconds turned into minutes… 

The door opened.

They broke apart, perhaps breathing a little harder than they had been before. Eve whirled to face the intruder, pulled in two directions about how she felt about being interrupted.

Collette braced a hand lightly on the metal handle of the door, her lab-coat swooshing from her startled stop before settling down against her form once again. She looked from one teenager to the other in a knowing, yet questioning way.

Jonas met her gaze, his emotions swiftly shifting to the reality of their situation. For a moment, he forgot the impulsive kiss between himself and Eve.

"You're awake," Collette said finally, clearing the air with her strong voice.

__

We're a lot more than that, Eve thought momentarily, her pulse still racing. 

"I know why you both would rather be anywhere but here," Collette went on, taking her hand out of her coat pocket, revealing no mechanical device. That was a good sign. "I won't keep you much longer. You know the truth now."

Jonas averted his gaze.

Collette eyed him. "But there is something I think both of you want to see," she finished quietly. Without another word, she turned and left through the open door. Eve dared not look at Jonas for fear of being reduced to a pile on the floor. Perhaps a little too eagerly, she strode after the woman, leaving him to look after her.

She was already halfway through the door before he moved to follow.

*************************************************

The room had portals. All around the room were cylindrical booths with panels displaying a colorful array of buttons and switches. Center in the circular room was a raised platform, lighted from beneath by an invisible source. It all vaguely reminded Eve of a music video set.

Robert was not there this time. Only Collette entered the room with them. Swiftly, she walked over to a separate panel, typing a few keys before another hologram appeared on the platform, blank and hinted with blue in its transparency.

"I think this belongs to you," she said, reaching into her pocket and holding out a single sheet of paper, folded three-ways, achingly familiar handwriting gracing the lines.

Jonas took it slowly, never meeting the older woman's gaze. It was Fiona's letter. "How did you—" 

"It was in your hand when I came," Collette answered immediately, looking at Eve. "I knew she would try to reach you."

Jonas looked up, a glint in his eye. Eve surveyed him carefully, not being able to help the twinge within her. He seemed to so easily forget what had just happened between them when one girl was brought up. 

"You had reason to want to return," Collette's voice cut through her thoughts, but she was talking to Jonas now. "Alexander meant more to you than anyone."

"You say that like you understand," Jonas said coldly, the letter crinkling in his grasp.

Collette tilted her head, birdlike, and regarded him thoughtfully. "Jonas…" she crossed her arms. "You were the Receiver because you could handle the truth, not because you would like it."

A tense silence filled the room.

"I wasn't the one who made you what you are," Collette broke it. She punched a random order of buttons on the panel. The hologram jumped to life suddenly, and both Jonas and Eve jumped slightly, eyes running over the image. 

"And neither were they," she finished, watching the projection from behind them. Jonas stepped forward and gazed harder into the hologram. Eve looked curiously at him, and then back to the three-dimensional image. 

"Who is that?" she asked in a small voice, unconsciously pressing a fist against her heart.

A muscle ticked in Jonas's jaw, and from beside him, she watched as his eyes filled with a sadness she had never seen before. It was a haunting, settling sadness that seemed to bear existence deep within himself.

His answer was low. "Lily."

The pretty brunette couldn't have been older than fourteen. She was sitting down at a desk that seemed submerged in a cluttered bedroom, her hand scribbling line after line of information her three viewers couldn't see. She worked diligently, as if she had a deadline to meet. Every now and then, she would glance up at the clock on the far wall.

He recognized the room after a long moment. It had no doubt undergone many changes since he'd last been there, but the bed was still covered in that pink blanket of hers, and a little stuffed animal perched on the pillow. An elephant. It was her comfort object. It was her bedroom. It was _their_ house.

"They're waiting for you," came Collette's voice. "They won't bury Alexander until you arrive. Lily is writing to you now. It's been a week since Fiona sent her letter through the produce crews."

The community had cameras and speakers everywhere—he wasn't surprised he was watching his sister as she was at that very moment. The night hung black outside her window, and reminded him that it had only been six-thirty when he had ransacked Eve's house for supplies. 

"We can't protect you if you return," Collette said warningly.

Eve looked away. "No, the only thing you know how to do is watch."

"That portal," Collette continued as if she hadn't heard, "will take you to your community. The virtual AI can be bent only from the Infrastructure." She paused meaningfully. "Unless you truly want to continue on foot if once wasn't enough for you."

Jonas closed his eyes, picturing the landscape as he had pedaled through the then unknown territory. She was right—once was more than enough.

"Why are you letting us go so easily?" Eve, sounding exactly like Fiona, said, her voice unwavering. "You said it yourself; we know the truth now."

Collette shrugged one shoulder and gave the younger girl a faraway look. "They have changed their way of life already. Tell them the whole truth if you like. There is no one stopping you."

"Why are you still here, then, watching them?" Eve glanced at the hologram where Jonas's younger sister was running a hand through her hair. "They rebelled, and you failed. What else is there?"

Collette stared at her. "I suppose you will find out soon enough."

Both teenagers looked to her, faces set. The doctor gestured gracefully with one hand to the portal to her right. "Your community's code is 6339."

Another silence. Wordlessly, Jonas and Eve looked at each other, seeming to convey an entire conversation in their eyes. A moment later, the seventh gate portal swooped down into the level below them. Collette was left alone, staring at the recently departed. Slowly, she turned and observed Lily, writing away. The panel from which she had activated the live broadcast beeped, and she switched her gaze.

The computer monitor showed a black screen, lined only with various indentions of green text. The newest line read,

****

SERIAL NUMBER 9-60034; SERIAL NUMBER 9-60036… _searching_…

****

DESCENDING E-DECK, PREPARING ENTRY INTO COMMUNITY ID 6339…

__

found…**JONAS; EVE**

****

ACCESS GRANTED, ENTRY COMMUNITY 6339 @ 8:37 p.m. EST

Collette smiled.

*********************************************

The trees lined either side of the road. Beyond the cluster of bushes cutting into the familiar path was barely a glimpse of a wooden bridge, arching attractively over a gently flowing river that shimmered in the moonlight.

Moonlight? They could see the moon now, yes. It was full.

His feet seemed immobile once he reached the edge of the bridge. Years ago, he had stood there, looking over his shoulder at the darkened dwellings and empty Central Plaza and wishing he could have made it work for them. And for the Giver. Especially the Giver. He had never said goodbye to him.

He stood there again, looking below him into the dark, churning water. Four and a half years, and his memory was still as vivid as the reality around him now.

"Are you ready?"

Jonas looked at her. Her red hair was down, for once, he remembered running his hands through it in that one passionate moment. He swallowed, confronted with more than just the familiarity of _home_. Somewhere not too far was a seventeen-year-old girl who was the very spitting image of Eve, and he would have to face her again.

His heart seemed split in twain, each holding onto a twin. But while he stared at the girl he had come to know so well over the past few years, she knew nothing of his inner turmoil. She only looked at him with encouraging anticipation. Perhaps even fear was written somewhere, there in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, recognizing the exchange. "… I think so."

"Then let's go," she whispered. Only this time, she walked beside him, hand in hers as they stepped onto the wooden bridge.

****************************************

A/N: Please tell me whether or not you think it's still good. I'm really trying not to get off on tangents here, because this plot is simple, anyway. I'll be off for vacation come June 29, so I'm really hustling to get out these last few chapters. I'm predicting five more, so stay tuned!


	15. Coming Home

****************************************************

She was startled by the knock at the door. Puzzled, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten till nine. Who would be knocking at their door this late? Surely the night crews were through with their work by now, not that they ever disturbed any house they brought and collected food from.

Rising, she gently pushed open the ajar bedroom door and slipped quietly out into the hall. From her mother's room, she heard the bed springs creak, and knew that she would be wondering who her daughter was letting in at such a late hour. 

Reaching the living room, she placed a hand on the knob and pulled the front door open.

For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, taking in the obvious differences, and yet the lingering similarities. The brown hair, the blue eyes, and the height—good lord, he'd grown a significant number of inches. Four long years…

Staring blankly, unbelievingly at her brother, Lily swayed slightly on her feet, gripping the doorknob for support.

"I'm not a ghost," Jonas said at last, and his voice seemed to flow through her veins with its familiarity.

Her throat finally constricted into working condition. "… Really?" she whispered. 

Jonas smiled. "Really."

She threw her arms around him, laughing and basking in his familiar scent. Jonas returned the hug with brotherly affection, smiling into her hair. Eve shifted footing and glanced away courteously, a small smile on her face. It was just like watching Jonas with Gabriel. A warmth and happiness seeped into him, one she only saw when he talked or played with his adopted little brother.

Apparently, the same effect was created when it came to his sister.

Lily pulled back finally. "You came back," she said, her voice fresh and strong now. "I didn't know if you would."

Jonas gave her an unwavering look. "I didn't think it would be like this, though."

"Lily? Who is it?"

They turned in unison toward the owner of the voice, unfamiliar to his ears.

"Oh, Mom," his little sister said suddenly, breaking his confused silence. "This is Jonas."

__

Mom, Jonas thought momentarily, looking at the woman who he didn't remember being his mother. She looked the right age, but she was a completely different person. Her kind smile seemed to say she noticed his confusion.

"Jonas…" Lily glanced back at him, motioning with her hand. "This is my birthmother."

Jonas stared her, then at the woman who stood by the entry into the living room in a robe, as if she had been wakened. Unbidden, a swell of pride and happiness swept through him, knowing that the community really had changed, even if only in the small difference of living with one's biological mother. 

"We've been waiting for you," she said, coming forward. The same kind smile was still on her face. "My name is Naina."

Lily grabbed his hand suddenly. "Come inside, please," she said, pulling through the open door. Perhaps for the first time since greeting her visitor, she noticed a figure behind him, politely letting the reunion carry on.

"Fiona!" Lily rambled on just like she used to, grabbing Eve's arm in a friendly gesture. "I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner!"

Eve glanced at Jonas helplessly, stumbling into the house. Her heart twisted at the sound of her twin sister's name. Up until that point, in the last four years, Fiona had been an intangible part of her, but now, knowing she was only a few streets away, Eve couldn't help the sudden ache in her heart.

Jonas held a hand up. "Uh, Lily—"

"How ever did you find him?" she jumped on his sentence, seeming to bubble over with excitement.

Eve managed a small smile. "You could say he found me," she replied evasively, thinking of the winter night when he had come to her house.

"Lily," Jonas tried again, "please listen."

"It was the letter, wasn't it?" Lily sailed right on, looking at Eve for answers.

"Twenty-three," Jonas came again, firmer this time. Lily turned to him, eyes wide. No one had used her birth number in so long, and she truthfully hadn't even remembered it until then. Jonas took advantage of her surprise, putting a hand on Eve's arm.

She shivered at the touch, remembering all to well the feel of him.

"This isn't Fiona," he said quietly, effectively.

Lily looked from one to the other, practically searching for any telltale sign that they were joking. When she was met with two solemn, unwavering expressions, her eyes squinted slightly in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly. Naina came up behind her, putting both hands on her daughter's shoulders.

Jonas glanced at the older woman, then at Eve. He took his good time answering, and even then, it wasn't the direct answer Lily had been expecting.

"I think we need to sit down."

********************************************

The community hadn't changed in terms of work and economy. As far as any labor was concerned, street and food distribution crews were still there, making sure every household received a breakfast and dinner. However, they received packaged goods as well, for home cooking when they opted. Currency was still nonexistent. 

Offices, factories, and other buildings of professional work carried on, dealing with things to better the community.

School was taught until the age of eighteen, like it had always been, but there was no separation at the age of twelve. And people chose their own jobs. Assignments were gone, the Committee of Elders was gone, the speaker was gone…

Holidays were celebrated. Snow came down in the winter. The sun shone brilliantly in the summer. The flowers grew every spring from the rains. Leaves turned golden brown and fell from the trees in the fall.

The Auditorium was used for plays and various productions, usually attended by the entire community. The population had dropped at the beginning, but was consistent now, with no restrictions on the number of children per family.

Family. There was a whole other meaning to the word now.

"You wouldn't believe how quickly everything went after that December," Lily said, putting down her cup of hot cocoa. "We didn't even have solid proof to guide us, just your memories…" she trailed off. "And the ones The Giver would tell us about. He helped us so much those first few months."

Jonas nodded slowly. 

Lily, seated on the couch across the coffee table from him, folded her hands together and gathered courage. "You got Fiona's letter, didn't you?"

There it was. That name again. Eve hugged herself in her place beside Jonas on the couch, and willed herself to stop thinking so hard about everything. They had yet to come to the worst conversation, and that was revealing who Eve was. Jonas had insisted that Lily tell him about the community first.

Naina leaned against the wall, casually checking the clock every now and then. She had stayed quiet through most of Lily's tellings, though Jonas knew there was a story behind her living with Lily. He meant to ask her, but he had to answer her question first.

"I did," he said quietly, thinking of the letter in his pocket.

Lily leaned forward. "We knew the truck crews were from… Elsewhere," she said slowly, for lack of a better term. "She was sure she could find someone who knew where you had gone. And you didn't go far in terms of distance."

But it was an entire world of difference, Jonas thought.

Lily looked from her brother to the girl beside him, who resembled Fiona in every way. She figured her question couldn't be kept in much longer. "Your turn," she said simply, looking back to Jonas.

Eve put a hand up, halting his sentence as he was gathering the breath to speak it. Slowly, she put it back down and answered for herself. "Call me Eve."

"Eve," Lily parroted, masking her growing curiosity under a skeptical cloud.

"Fiona is my twin sister."

And then came the silence. Jonas didn't think he'd ever heard his younger sister so quiet. As for Naina, her eyes came alert and flashed with something akin to disbelief before settling down again to their amused stare. She hadn't moved a muscle. Eve surveyed her carefully, only half conscious of the way Jonas moved closer on the couch next to her. Or had she done the moving?

The story poured out, flowing from her lips like a song, lyrical and fantastical. Peter, Diana, Rachelle, Luminus… suddenly it all seemed so far away. A homesickness washed over her, replaced only by the bitter voice inside that told her this was her original home.

Lily sat very still the entire time, listening attentively with her hands in her lap. Naina shifted every now and then, but hardly to anyone's notice. Jonas looked at his hands, hearing the incredible tale for only the second time in his life. Sometimes he wondered how he had dealt with it so easily. He wasn't one to believe in fate, necessarily, but it seemed the only word possible to describe his situation.

"How ever did you find each other?" Naina spoke up at last, turning his attention back to the conversation.

Eve opened her hands and shrugged. "He just happened to find us that night," she said. "We didn't know we would have so many things in common."

The older woman shook her head slowly, a faraway look in her eyes. "… wow."

Lily looked as though she was still trying to figure it all out. "But you have blue eyes," she said, leaning forward as if to look closer.

Jonas exchanged a small smile with Eve, noticing for the first time that she did have her contacts in. The second thought to enter his mind was his sister's ability to see colors now. Eve blinked experimentally a few times, looking back to Lily. "They—"

"Oh, contacts?" Lily answered herself, tipping her head to one side. 

"Yeah," Eve replied lightly, laughing shortly. 

"… Wow," Lily said in imitation of her mother. "What are the chances," she mused softly. "Fiona had a twin this whole time." She looked at Jonas. "Who lived with you, no less."

Nods went off, all too exhausted with past and story to voice their agreement. Jonas took the brief moment to run his eyes over his house, which had stayed virtually the same since he'd left it. Couch, table, desk…

But there was a planter here and there, alongside picture frames with smiling faces, none of the faces he recognized except Lily's and Naina's. A brilliantly woven rug spilled across the floor beneath them, reds upon blacks and golds that seemed alive. Flower pots decorated the window sill, and still more were in vases on end tables and the mantle. It all reflected a simple feminine touch, not too overpowering or plain. 

But perhaps the most obvious difference was Naina's presence, which had taken the place of Mother and Father, apparently. The question nibbled at his curiosity.

"What happened to…" he trailed off, looking at Lily's mother.

Naina nodded, acknowledging his unspoken concern. But it was Lily who answered. A brown curl escaped from the pretty Chinese comb which held her hair, and she eyed the carpet with a restrained intensity.

"We don't know exactly," she said. "When things changed, most of the Old died. They weren't able to deal with the memories, I suppose. The Giver never explained how or why."

Jonas nodded slowly, remembering. If Rosemary's memories had stopped at poverty and hunger and the community had been hit as hard as the Giver had told, his memories were bound to overwhelm more than hers. And they had.

"A lot of the parents refused to change, too, and when they realized they were the minority, they left for the surroundings communities. Mother and Father were among them," Lily glanced out the curtained window as if she could see them walking away. "They left thinking I was asleep. After that, most people started looking for their true parents… mothers, anyway."

Eve grasped her triceps in one hand, realizing perhaps for the first time that she hadn't been conceived by sexual means. No one in the present room had been. Neither had Diana and Peter.

"The Hall of Closed Records was opened for everyone, so it wasn't hard." Suddenly, Lily smiled, hiding her amusement with one hand. "Tell you the truth…" she laughed suddenly, looking at her mother.

Naina shook her head slightly, smiling. "Lily will never get over this, I swear."

Eve and Jonas glanced at each other, not complaining at the swiftly lightened mood. 

"Get over what?" Jonas asked warily, looking back and forth between mother and daughter.

His sister beamed pleasantly. "Remember Isaac? He was your year and assigned to be an Instructor of Sixes?"

A nod.

"He's my brother."

Jonas blinked once, twice. He looked to Naina, who only nodded silently in return. 

"I only had two births, as opposed to most of the other Birthmothers having three. I was on the list to be injected again that December, but… you had other plans for us," she told him with a wry smile, and he thought of his escape that night so many years before.

"Your brother…" Jonas repeated, amazed at the fact. And possibly, that he could find his real mother and sibling… or siblings. The thought had never once occurred to him, not with Gabriel all those years. He had grown up without any need or want to know who his Birthmother had been, and yet now he felt he had been deprived of it, among many other things that were the result of living in the community. But it wasn't the same community anymore. They saw colors, they experienced pleasure and pain, and…

They lived like the real world, with the people who shared their blood.

Naina read his mind. "Would you like to meet your mother, Jonas?" she asked into the silence, a small smile gracing her features.

"And your sister?" Lily went on, immensely enjoying springing him with the news. She always did love surprises.

Jonas looked around blankly, not trusting his voice. He did want to meet them, possibly more than ever wanting anything else, but there were others, too. Asher… Fiona… 

"I think I need to…" Jonas started uneasily, staring into the depths of the coffee mugs on the table. "… sleep," he finished slowly. "A lot's happened in the past… two hours."

"Of course," Naina said, her weight shifting off the wall. "We can tell Iris about your arrival tomorrow, and the funeral will be this weekend, most likely."

"Iris?" Eve echoed.

"The mayor," Lily supplied. She elaborated, noticing her brother's expression. "Iris used to be on the Assignment Committee, but after the memories, she really helped the Giver rebuild our life here. Everybody wanted a leader of this community, and she was the number one candidate." She paused. "After the Giver, anyway. He said he would continue to advise, but he never wanted to govern."

"I'm sure she would be pleased to know you're here," Naina stepped in. "We'll go first thing tomorrow when you've had a good night's sleep."

"You, on the other hand," she continued, turning to Lily. "Need to sleep because you won't be able to get up for school tomorrow."

The thirteen-year-old groaned. 

"Eve," Naina redirected her voice. "We don't have a guest room, but the sofa folds out into a bed. I can get you some blankets and pillows."

"Thank you," Eve smiled gratefully, feeling more comfortable around this woman. She seemed motherly and firm, but with a youthful air—someone who raised her daughter casually and with an easygoing manner.

Jonas watched as the three females rose from the couch and to the hall closet for the items. He looked after them with a familiar ache in his chest. He'd never imagined coming back to the community would lift the emptiness in his heart. Not even in the sense of being the Receiver or finding freedom Elsewhere—the hole in his heart went deeper, stronger, in the sense that he thought he could never change his world.

But he had been wrong. Lily and her mother were living in his old house, and likely so many more things about the community had changed to fit his memories and those of the Giver. People he had known as a child could feel now, _really_ feel. At twelve, he had felt so alone in the community, being one of two who could understand life. At seventeen, he was now joined by that same community, who could share in his knowledge… who had already shared his knowledge. 

The Giver was dead. He swallowed, remembering why had left the safety of Luminus in the first place. His best friend was gone forever. 

After a lifetime of achievement, Jonas finished silently, smiling to himself. No other person would ever take his place.

"Jonas?"

Eve's voice.

He forced himself out of his thoughts, looking up at her entrance. "Yeah?"

She lowered the blanket in her hands to look at him, her eyes brown now. "… Are you okay?"

Unbidden, the image of their kiss flashed in his mind and he fought to push it away. He would sort through the feelings when he had time to think about the other… twin.

"Fine," he lied, standing. He passed her in the archway, just barely brushing her arm. 

Eve closed her eyes at the breath of touch, standing in the spot long after he had already moved down the hallway and to what she assumed had been his old room. A quiet sigh escaped her, confused and content at the same time. Just what had he meant by that kiss, anyhow?

And what about Fiona? Would he forget what happened between them when he saw her again? Was she just a reflection of his past that he had gotten carried away with?

Hugging the soft blanket closer, she dropped down to the couch and fought against the regret, moisture pooling in her eyes. He wouldn't use her like that—he wouldn't use anyone. That just wasn't Jonas. But why hadn't he said anything by now? Even if he had regretted the one sweeping moment of desire and told her it was a mistake he would never make again, it would have been better than the silence. The silence left her too many options.

And she realized she only wanted one answer.

************************************************

"Dr. Sheele, I suggest you give me some good news."

"The Superbowl is tomorrow."

"Concerning the project, please."

"The Receiver and the twin have made it safely into 6339."

"The funeral?"

"Most likely Saturday. They revel in his return. You know that."

"They are running out of time, Collette."

"Must it always come to that?"

"Yes."

"They've created a life for themselves there. We can end this project without ending lives."

"Their information is too precious. Alexander was the only reason D-34762 didn't do a curtain call on the communities four years ago."

"Things have changed."

"You have failed. And you have been given four and half years to fix it."

"You don't understand!"

"Understand this, Dr. Sheele—over 73 billion tax dollars went into the Community Project. You and your team have failed. The Receiver and Eve have returned and will go down with the rest of them."

"….."

"Diana, Peter, and Gabriel will be dealt with after the destruction."

"Please think of something else for these people. They haven't done anything wrong."

"They haven't done anything right in receiving the memories. Their time was always measured, and now it is done to its last days."

"….."

"Over and out."

__

Click.

Collette sighed. "…Bastard."

**************************************************

A/N: Review and let your voices be heard, people. Fiona or Eve? You just might change my mind as to who I've put with Jonas in the end. 

That's a very big might. ^_^


	16. Fiona

A/N: I think I had a couple more votes for Fiona, actually, though Eve had her supporters too. I'm surprised nobody said, "He should end up single, dammit!"

*************************************************

__

The bridge, 4:00.

The note said nothing else, but she already knew the author. Fiona tucked the torn piece of paper in her pocket and closed the door to her locker. So the rumors had been true. But a part of her had known it all along. He was back. _Jonas_ was back. Lily could hardly keep the news to herself, and by 9:30, the news had reached all grade levels. Everyone in the community, from the oldest grandparent to the youngest pre-schooler knew what his return meant.

She checked her watch, and noted the recent dismissal from school at 3:00. But what to do for an hour? She could hardly keep her feet still now. Four years ago, Jonas had been a living, breathing influence in her blissfully ignorant life, and yet now it almost seemed a dream. Maybe then he had known who she was, but would he surprised at who he found now? Or… disappointed?

The red-haired lass shook her head, clearing her scattered thoughts. He was back, and that was enough for her. Writing to him had revealed the shy child in her, as if she still slept within the confident exterior. Would he mention the letter? She almost had the gall to be embarrassed. In a little corner of her mind, she had believed her words would never reach his eyes, and even if they did, she didn't know if he would return as she hoped. But…

He had proved her wrong.

She'd waited four years already—one hour more on the bridge would seem like an eternity, but it was one she was willing to wait. Bidding goodbye to a few passing friends, she flew down the hall and out the doors of the school. The Central Plaza was alive with people when she passed by on the brick-paved walkway. Everyone was talking about the Receiver's return, no doubt. And while the event to attend was a funeral, the joy of support was unmistakable.

But was he back to stay? Fiona rubbed her arms despite the warm spring day, and tried not to question the brightened state of things. Her anticipation turned to shock when she saw him standing alone on the bridge, his tall form familiar and foreign at the same time.

His hair was lighter by sunlight, but perhaps her memory failed her in the area of color because she had never seen him that way. And he was so tall…

He heard her footsteps on the wooden bridge and turned his head from the waters below, thinking it was Eve out to corner him into talking about the random kiss he had initiated. Suddenly, the Infrastructure seemed so far away, almost as if it had been a dream. Throughout his first day back, he had gone around the community, greeting and meeting again, and yet the nagging splinter in his mind kept telling him he had come back to a creation. 

But when his vision focused, the girl joining him had Eve's face, but he knew instantly it wasn't her. The way she walked, the way she was looking at him…

She dropped her shoulder bag, never taking her eyes from his. The sound of textbooks meeting wood echoed loudly in her ears, but the urgent thump of her own heart was the only sound she could comprehend. Jonas turned from the railing of the bridge, facing her head-on as she willed her feet to follow one after the other.

He smiled at her. "… Fiona…"

She stopped in front of him, only to go forward again into his arms. He held her close, breathing in the lilac scent of her hair, just like her sister's…

Fiona hid her face against his shoulder, fisting the material of his shirt in her hands. He was the same, and yet he was different. She had never been so close to him before, but at the same time it seemed an entire world separated them. She sighed, chastising herself for only thinking of difficulties when he was finally back.

"You taught _me_ how to love," he said after a few moments, his voice rumbling in his chest against her. She pulled back a little, staring up at him.

"But you also taught me how to see," she said, thinking momentarily. "And hear, and feel, and remember—"

"I taught everyone that, though," Jonas interrupted her with a small smile. "Only you taught me something about the enigma that is the female species."

Fiona laughed, and he realized that it hadn't changed. Somewhat reluctantly, he released her from his hold, but clasped her hands in his, as if constant contact prevented her from whisking away in the next second, like one of memories.

"Why would you think I'd never want to see you again?" he asked softly. 

Fiona glanced down at the river, prompted to speaking only by the reassuring squeeze he gave her hands. "I understood too late," she said, quoting herself. "Of course, at first, nobody knew why or where you went, but then the memories came…"

She paused, and looked up, realizing he was waiting for her to finish.

"Let's just say that's the day the planes stopped," she said with a momentary lift of her eyebrows. 

Jonas blinked, remembering. The search planes did come those first few days; he had stopped counting after a while. There was one day when they didn't come at all, however, and from then on, things were silent in the forests of the Reilyn Mountains. When they understood, they stopped searching.

He had never once thought of it in that perspective.

"Something about the way I treated you back then… I knew you wouldn't be thinking much of me when you finally reached Elsewhere, or wherever it was you went."

"The way you treated me?" Jonas echoed unbelievingly. He couldn't think of anyone else he'd ever met who was nicer, community or Luminus.

"The way I couldn't return anything you were feeling for me," she amended, surprised that the words were pouring out so naturally after so long.

Jonas smiled. "You think I blamed that on you?"

Fiona stared at him. "I…" she trailed off, words lost in her throat.

"It was frustrating sometimes," Jonas admitted. "And it was easy to say you weren't any different, but I thought about you a lot those first few months when I was sitting in class or eating dinner…"

She smiled slightly. "I thought about you too. It was hard not to, getting used to all those… _feelings_," she stressed. "There was so much to sort through."

"I know," Jonas said, nodding. "Believe me, I know."

Fiona tilted her head and swung their clasped hands a bit, bringing his eyes to hers once again. "Tell me about… what was it Lily was saying today? Luminus?" she squinted.

Jonas blinked, then spread into a slow smile. He should have known Lily would broadcast his life story before the first day was over. "It's… something else," he mused, nodding. "Small town, only about five or six thousand people, but I like it there."

"How did you survive?" Fiona asked, shaking her head a little. "I mean, who took you in?"

Eve was the first thought in his mind, and he just barely caught himself before revealing her sister to her. Thoughts of his house back in Luminus brought a familiar pang of homesickness and he realized he had an entire world to come back to. He also had to tell Fiona the truth sometime before the funeral that Saturday.

Slowly, he told her about the snow, Christmas, and finding Diana's house. He started by saying she had understood his situation and taken him in, but the vagueness would be explained later. Rachelle and Peter were mentioned somewhere in the little story as he tried to think of the best way to bring Eve up.

"There's something you should know about your… past," he said slowly, and took note of the sudden curiosity in her eyes.

"There is?"

Nodding, Jonas glanced toward town as if he expected to see Eve coming toward them. But there was only Fiona. He titled his head. "Tell me something."

Fiona blinked. "Yeah?"

"When they used to release twins," he began, somewhat uncomfortably because the girl in his presence had been subject to the terrible act, and trained to perform it on others. "Lily used to joke about someone being a twin their whole life and never knowing it."

"… Okay," Fiona said slowly, her eyebrows coming together slightly.

Jonas eyed her carefully. "Did you ever feel like that?"

The redhead blinked and squinted a little, her mouth opening and closing a few times but never emitting a voice. "Um…" she glanced around experimentally. "… I can't say I have," she said slowly. A confused smile broke through.

"You didn't ever feel like there was a part of you missing or there was someone you really wanted to know?" Jonas persisted.

Fiona sliced him a look. "What is this leading to?" she asked quietly.

Jonas sighed. "Diana took me in because we both had run from the community. She just happened to do it thirteen years before I did, and so she was there in Luminus when I came that Christmas. I didn't know it then, but I guess it was some coincidence I ended up knocking on her door."

"She was from here?" Fiona repeated incredulously.

Jonas nodded. "She did exactly what I did, only she wasn't the Receiver, and so she didn't leave any memories. But she escaped with a child to save her from release."

Gabriel flashed in her mind, and she remembered the toddler with ease. Still wondering where he was going with all his explaining, Fiona only looked up at him and nodded slowly. "Oh, I see."

Jonas dropped her hands and placed his on her upper arms, making her look into his eyes. "You're a twin, Fiona."

The words piqued her senses. At his solemn expression, she could only shake her head. "What?"

"Diana was training for release when you were born. You're a twin," he said again, eyes softening the least bit. "She ran away with your sister because she didn't want anyone hurt. She knew they would let you live if there was only one of you in the community."

Fiona stared at him, looking back and forth in his clear blue eyes for any untruth. When she found none, her breath was suddenly shallow. "… How do you know all this?" 

Jonas gave her a grave look. "Because she answered the door that night, and I thought it was you. When I woke up and realized what Diana had done years before, it turned out Eve was your identical twin. She's been living in Luminus all this time."

"… Eve?" Fiona repeated, barely a breath behind the word.

Jonas straightened. "Eve," he confirmed.

Confusion and disbelief swam in her eyes, and she turned away suddenly, looking out over the clear water of the river. "My sister?" she said softly into the wind. "My _twin_ sister?"

Jonas came up beside her, resting his forearms against the wooden rail. "She didn't know she was a twin, either. Diana never told her until they met me. And the whole story just… spilled out."

Fiona stayed silent, her mind tossing like the ocean. Of all people to come across in Elsewhere, he had found her twin sister? It was small, small world—so small one could get lost in it. She turned to look at her old friend. "All these years…?"

Jonas nodded. "There were days when I thought about coming back just so I could tell you. I figured it wasn't fair that I should know and you not, being her sister and all."

"Her name is Eve?" Fiona asked again, having to be sure.

Jonas saw through the insecurity easily. A small smile broke through his features. "Do you want to meet her?"

Her eyes widened with a light he had never seen before. "She's here?" Fiona whispered brokenly, "She came with you?"

"If I had twin brother, I would want to tag along to meet him for the first time," Jonas said off-handedly, shrugging. The smile was still there.

Fiona relished in the flood of joy pulsating through her veins. "Of course I want to meet her!" she exclaimed, and, for lack of anything else to do, she threw herself into his arms again. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Jonas rubbed her lower back with one hand. "There were a lot of people to meet again today. I had to talk fast just to come here."

Fiona smiled. "I'm glad you did."

Even as she walked beside him, beside the river as if to make up for the time when he had rejected the suggestion; even when his fingers intertwined with hers and she didn't pull away; even when, if only for those moments, they were only two teenagers bound by a feeling more precious than life itself, Jonas couldn't help the small voice inside himself.

In seeing Fiona again, he had surely sold his soul, for he hadn't believed it was possible to be in love with two people at the same time. 

She had proved him wrong.

**************************************************

Eve glanced at her watch, pursing her lips in slight confusion. It was already 7:10, and Jonas had told her to wait for him at the heart of the Central Plaza where the fountain was. Numerous people criss-crossed the brick-paved walkway, pleasant chatter echoing to her ears. Groups of teenagers stood here and there, talking and having a drink or two. She noticed none of them were alcoholic, and wondered if they even knew about such a mixture.

Now, glancing around her surroundings, it almost convinced her she was in a real-world city. The Central Plaza would have fit perfectly in any typical American town of ten thousand or less.

Sighing, she glanced at her watch again, and then around the scenic plaza for any sign of Jonas. The spray of the fountain missed her figure by a few feet as she went and sat on the stone ledge. Leaning over the clear water, she noticed the lack of pennies lining the bottom. A society without coinage, she thought suddenly, functions better than the greatest superpower in the world.

It brought a small smile to her face. The community was more than she had ever imagined. Crime was nowhere to be found, people were kind and welcoming, and the scenery would have made any landscape painter happy. Utopia indeed, she thought.

The four of them, Naina, Lily, Jonas, and herself had eaten dinner at a small, crafty restaurant in the corner of the plaza. Soon after, mother and daughter had thought to give the teenagers time alone.

Like we need it, Eve thought wryly, unable to banish the kiss from her conscience. No, they most certainly did not need any time alone, not if it just led to any more occurrences like _that_. She shook herself, pressing her lips together as if to tame them. Jonas still hadn't said anything about it. And she wouldn't bring it up, not if she could help it. Confrontations had never been on her list of favorite things to do, and when it came to Jonas… he had the stare that robbed a girl of any words.

Eve sighed. How could her feelings for someone she had known for years change so suddenly in a few days?

"Hey Fiona!"

She turned in surprise, watching as a girl with short brown hair waved to her. For lack of having to explain herself to a complete stranger, she merely waved back, a weak smile showing through. She supposed she would have to get used to being called Fiona during her stay. This was, after all, her sister's world, her sister's friends…

"You must have gotten tired of that by now."

She wasn't sure whether or not she had said it, but it sounded so much like her voice. Eve glanced around, sure she was going out of her mind, but then her eyes landed on her mirror image.

Fiona walked up, smiling slightly, hands in the pockets of her jeans. "I don't think I have to tell you who I am," she said, reaching Eve's still-sitting form.

She got to her feet, unsteady and sure at the same time. "… Fiona," she acknowledged, surprised to find her voice soft.

Her sister smiled. "Eve," she returned evenly.

There was a single moment when they looked at each other across the space of mere feet that seemed to compress four and half years. She had known for so long, and now she was finally meeting the one person in the world she could call family, blood family. But it wasn't mind-blowing, or universe-bending in any way. Eve found herself very calm with joy, seeing her reflection standing in front of her.

Fiona stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her sister, knowing she had most likely stunned her immobile. Eve smiled and welcomed the embrace, almost feeling as if she was holding herself. 

"I'm so sorry," she said.

Fiona pulled back. "Sorry?" she echoed.

Eve laughed a little, and blinked the moisture gathering in her eyes. "I knew about you a long time before you knew about me," she began. "And I didn't do anything about it."

Fiona shook her head. "You wouldn't have wanted to come here those first few months after that December. It wasn't pretty."

A silence.

Eve laughed again, and Fiona couldn't help but notice the way it flowed through the air like wind chimes. "You know, I always had a list of things I would say to you when I met you for the first time," Eve said, shaking her head. "And now I can't think of any of them."

Fiona hid her smile with a slight cough. "I don't know what to say either," she admitted softly, noticing her twin's blue eyes. "Jonas told me everything this afternoon, and he told me he would set up this little meeting," Fiona glanced at her watch. "Forgive me for being late, though; I had a little brother to put to sleep."

Eve nodded knowingly, thinking of the many nights she had read Gabriel to sleep. "It's fine."

Another silence.

"I still can't think of any of them," Eve blurted, earning a laugh from Fiona. She joined in after a moment, and they drew a few stares with their identical looks and chuckles.

"Let me say something then," Fiona replied after a moment. She hesitated. "… I'm sorry, too."

"… What for?"

"I know about someone you've probably wanted to know about all your life, and I haven't said anything to you about her since I've known you were here," Fiona elaborated. 

"Her?" Eve said softly, thinking surely that two dreams wouldn't come true in the same night.

Fiona proved her wrong by beaming prettily. "Her name was Michelle." Her voice was strong and clear. "Our mother."

Eve was sure she would have fallen right over into the fountain if the burst of laughter from a nearby group of teenagers hadn't jolted her into correct coordination. She placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart. "… Mother?"

Fiona nodded, pleased at the opportunity to show her sister she had yet more family in the world. "Come with me."

On slightly trembling legs, Eve followed her sister through the crowd in the plaza, bumping shoulders with someone every now and then. Her mind was reeling. Was it true? Was she meeting her sister and mother all in the same twenty minutes? She was getting so much, it almost felt like Christmas.

Her jubilation lessened, however, when Fiona led her away from the plaza, toward the flat fields surrounding the community where the latter had spent her childhood playing games and running races. The cemetery was overcast with street lamps, creating an almost ethereal glow on the flat slabs that marked the deceased.

Fiona walked ahead a bit, opening the iron gate with a quiet creak. Eve followed after, feeling oddly at peace in the graveyard. Knowing her mother was close by, she found the strength to walk on.

Fiona stopped at a circular slab, slowly dropping to her knees in front of it. Eve watched the action, then followed suit as she read the inscription. Fiona cleared stray pieces of grass from the stone.

A long silence passed.

"The Committee of Elders started taking people to the Meeting House to question their knowledge of Jonas's escape. Of course, no one knew about it except the Giver, but the Elders wouldn't listen to reason." Fiona struggled to find the next words. "… They started injecting anyone they accused of treason."

Eve closed her eyes, if only to keep the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

"But sometimes I think…" Fiona bit her lip. "It was good for her. She didn't feel any pain when she died."

They escaped from beneath her lids, dropping unceremoniously onto the stone which honored her mother. Eve sniffed quietly, wiping one cheek clean.

"After we drove the Elders out, though," Fiona continued, somewhat lighter, "The Giver told us to build a cemetery for those who had been wrongly accused. And when everyone started looking for their true mother, that's when I looked her up." 

"But I was just thinking today," she continued softly, gazing into the distance. "One of us would have had the same fate if it wasn't for Diana."

Eve looked at her twin, eyes shining. 

Fiona smiled through her own tears. "She's the reason we're both alive."

After a moment, Eve nodded and smiled back, thinking of the Diana and how much she truly needed to thank her adoptive sister when she returned to Luminus. When she returned… but would she ever find the courage to leave her twin behind?

She wrapped a comforting arm around Fiona, and silently, the two girls sat amidst a sea of departed heroes, red heads of hair bent together over their loss. And somewhere far away, perhaps a star was twinkling in the night sky, shining down on them with a smile.

**********************************************

A/N#2: Yes, finally, Fiona's in the story. She's been such a big part in this fic, and yet I haven't written her to a full main character capacity until this chapter. 

This is the last chapter I'll be posting until August 3rd-ish, because my one-week vacation starts this Sunday. I'm still aiming for the last chapter to be up by or on August 7th, so be sure to check that out when the day comes. I'm going for twenty chapters, give or take an epilogue.

Till next time….


	17. Frequency Modulated

A/N: More advice: get really tense and hyped. ^_^

***********************************************

The sun was shining in long rays, fanning out from behind the white puffs of clouds in the sky. He thought it fitting that such a beautiful day would see off his best friend. The entire community had turned out for the funeral, standing now around the elegant coffin in a sea of blacks and browns. Flowers covered the surface of the casket and rained down the sides in a brilliant splash of color. 

It was silent when Jonas stepped up, a single white rose in his hand. Behind him stood a younger girl with soft brown hair and hazel eyes, yet they betrayed an ageless wisdom hidden in their depths. Her name was Katharine.

She went up beside her brother, laying her own rose on the Giver's coffin. When she glanced up at Jonas, he was looking back at her. A small, knowing smile reflected between the two of them, and he hugged her gently, laying his chin atop her small head.

He had met her the day before, his own little sister, the Six in the community that had had light eyes along with him. She had become the community's surrogate daughter, it seemed, being so close to the Receiver they had lost. And he had met his Birthmother along with Katharine, a shy woman named Miriam. She stood close as she watched her children.

Tears would not come, no matter how sad he became. Jonas stared at the coffin, not entirely believing the Giver's death would separate them. If he closed his eyes long enough, he could still hear Alexander's voice, vibrating off the walls of the Annex room as he transferred memories or just words of wisdom.

He was the last to place his flower next to the decoration. Then, slowly, he turned and looked out over the gathered crowd that could barely be contained in the large cemetery. These people, _his_ people, all of them with chips in the back of their necks as a result of modern technology, were now looking to him for guidance.

The decision tore at his insides. To stay would mean turning away from the wonderful world he had become a part of.

Eve's world.

To leave would be throwing away his childhood again, his family, his entire purpose for his existence. He would be turning away from a world so familiar.

Fiona's world.

The crowd of people slowly dispersed, returning to their dwellings on their day off. Asher found it interesting to see that very few were truly crying. They all had solemn expressions, but the event was heart-wrenching in a different sense than what she had anticipated. It all seemed so… peaceful.

__

The way it should be, he thought, looking at the families in black as they walked out the cemetery gates. Sitting beside him in the wooden chairs that had been put out before the coffin was Fiona, her head slightly bowed, her eyes traveling the length of the grass folded underneath her boot. She had been very quiet the entire morning. 

Asher lifted a hand and placed it on his friend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Fiona nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from the ground. "Fine."

Lily approached her brother slowly, with Naina walking at a leisurely pace behind her. Katharine saw them first, and gently nudged Jonas with her elbow.

"Let's go home," Lily said softly, squinting up at him. The sun was slightly blinding.

Jonas glanced from her to the flowers and back again, more than ready to agree. It had been a long morning already, and his stomach was starting to complain. But as if from instinct, he glanced around, coming to focus on a black figure slowly walking onto the large wooden bridge over the river.

"You go ahead," he found himself saying, turning back to Lily. He offered her a gentle smile. "There's something I need to do."

After a long moment, Lily nodded slowly and turned to her mother. They walked out alongside Katharine and Miriam. Jonas watched their backs before catching sight of two more figures making their way toward him.

"Why don't you come eat with us?" Asher asked, nodding to Fiona. "A lot of our classmates were going to meet at the plaza."

Jonas shook his head.

Asher and Fiona exchanged a strange look, trying unsuccessfully to hide their surprise. Then they looked back to him, twin expressions filled with bemusement. Jonas would have laughed had it been any other day. Asher cleared his throat quietly.

"Sure, whatever," he replied in his easygoing way. With a lazy salute to Fiona, he trotted off on the heels of a group of friends.

"Tell me the truth."

Jonas returned his attention to the lovely girl in front of him.

"You've been here a few days," Fiona went on, looking him in the eye. "The Giver was indispensable, and you…" she paused meaningfully. "Are you here to stay?"

Jonas stared at her, mentally searching for the reasonable answer that wouldn't come to him. His eyes flickered over her shoulder to the lone figure on the bridge. "… I don't know, Fiona."

Her eyes turned sympathetic.

Jonas sighed. "I don't know."

Unable to bear the slight disappointment in her eyes, Jonas turned away and headed determinedly for the bridge. For days, he had avoided this confrontation, and the excuse of funeral preparations no longer held ground. He counted every step out of the cemetery, though the gates, and the past the playing field on the edge of town.

Eve leaned her arms against the wooden railing, inhaling the fresh air around her. Despite the sun, a cool breeze floated through the air, making her pull her black jacket closer around her middle. Reaching up, she slowly undid the clasp holding her hair. 

"It looks beautiful like that."

Eve turned, watching as Jonas joined her on the bridge, footsteps echoing against the wood. He looked striking in his long black coat, but it was such a strong contrast against the sunny day. She supposed she must have looked the same, however. Flattery wouldn't come, no matter how hard she tried to summon it. She only observed him soberly. "Are you sure you have the right twin?"

A long silence passed as they stood opposite each other.

"I deserved that," Jonas said eventually, glancing at the flowing water. "But I'm sorry."

"About what?" Eve whispered, tilting her head.

Jonas closed his eyes momentarily. "Don't do this to me, Eve."

She couldn't resist. "Do what?"

"Don't make me the bad guy," he said quietly. Then he shook his head. "I didn't do it so I could confuse both of us."

"Then why did you do it?" she persisted in that same careful, quietly effective voice.

Jonas fisted one hand. "Because I couldn't hold back any longer."

He thought he saw her eyes flicker with something kin to surprise, but it was gone the next instant, replaced only by the confusion and question that had been there before. Her eyebrows came together slightly. 

"… Because you couldn't pretend any longer," she suggested instead, clearing the strands of hair in her face. 

"That's not true."

"It is," Eve countered. The next words were harder to say. "Jonas, you never even looked me in the eye until now ever since that night. W-what was I supposed to think?"

"Eve—"

"I was never the one you wanted," Eve blinked the moisture pooling in her eyes. "Just like eighth grade, Jonas. You wanted her in your world. I just happened to be a walking clone that wouldn't let you forget."

"That's not true," Jonas repeated, taking a step toward her. He took her hands in a grasp from which she couldn't free them. "Listen to me."

"Why?" 

"Because if I don't talk, I'm gonna kiss you again."

Silence.

Jonas swallowed. "Eve, it may have started out that way," he began slowly, making sure she caught every word. "But everything's different now. I was confused, and I was going through a lot of things, but I would never, _ever_ use you for a passing moment of fun."

Eve winced.

"Don't you have a little more faith in me than that?" he went on, tightening his hold on her hands. "Do you really think I did it because you look exactly like Fiona, and I couldn't help myself any longer?"

"I didn't know what to think, Jonas," Eve came at last. "You didn't say anything for days, and I… I was starting to think you just wanted to act like it never happened!"

Jonas closed his eyes and pulled her close, wrapping a strong arm around her back. "Eve…" he said into her hair. "I'm sorry."

She was noticeably stiff in his arms, but her breathing was easier than it had been moments before. She sighed against his chest before pulling back, slowly lifting her eyes to his.

"It took me four years, but I'm saying it now." Jonas placed his hands on her shoulders. "I can't lose you, Eve, not when I finally stopped beating around the bush. You helped me more than anyone when I first came to Luminus. You were the only person tied directly to my past, and even if you couldn't understand what it was like, you didn't judge me because of it."

Eve stood still, looking at him with her undivided attention.

"And that night," Jonas looked back and forth in her eyes. "There was something about it all—the Community Project, the Infrastructure—everything was coming together, and I didn't kiss you because you were there." He cupped her cheek. "I don't know how long I've felt this way about you, Eve, but I know I didn't realize it until that night."

Giving into temptation, she leaned into his touch. A quiet sigh escaped her, and she was visibly calm, even though her heart was thumping loudly in her ears. "… What about Fiona?"

Jonas eased his hold, if only the slightest fraction. It seemed Fiona would always come between them on some level. He swallowed again, and made her look into his eyes. "I don't know. Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?"

Eve blinked her astonishment. Had he said _love_?

"Two sisters? Two _twins_?" Jonas stressed, inwardly hating himself. Almost guiltily, he let go of Eve and turned to face the railing. "I always thought I would know how I felt if I ever saw Fiona again. I always said I wouldn't let myself hang onto some childhood crush."

"But maybe that's what was so good about it," Jonas went on, almost as if he wasn't talking to her anymore, but to himself. "She was untouchable. She was someone that I could never have, and that's what made her so special. That's what made me love her even more."

Eve looked down at the river water, watching her single tear slip into the surface, creating a small ripple. He had just finished telling her how much he felt for her, and now he was extending her twin sister the same courtesy.

"But it was different with you, Eve. You were real and genuine, and you weren't some mirror image that I was just dallying with." Jonas shook his head. "I can't believe you would think that."

A long, terrible silence filled the air between them. Eve wouldn't look at him, contemplating her own claim to guilt. Jonas wasn't that kind of person, but confusion had clouded both their better judgements. And when all was said and done, there was still one hurdle to jump.

"I don't know what to do, Eve," Jonas confessed quietly. "I don't want to let go of whatever is between us now, or the chance that it might be—"

"Possible?" Eve said suddenly.

Another silence.

"But after all this time, when Fiona can finally return what I've felt for her for so long…" Jonas closed his eyes. "I don't want to let go of her, either."

Eve raised a hand slowly to his face and ran the back of her fingers against his temple. He looked down at her, and she seemed to understand his situation. "… Jonas…" she whispered.

Her next words were absorbed in the massive explosion that occurred on the other side of town.

*************************************************

"What the hell just happened?" 

"Sir, the Meeting House was just demolished!"

"Get me 6339 right now!"

"Sir, someone is trying to access the main system from the Infrastructure, A-deck."

"Can you get a tracer on him?"

"No, sir, he's under a guest identity, and with all the network servers in Washington, D.C., he could be one of five thousand or more."

"Then check the Infrastructure for everyone who's logged out of their network name right now. They can't be a guest and themselves at the same time."

"… There's only one, Sir…"

"Who, dammit?!"

"Dr. Collette Sheele."

************************************************

"Everyone stay back!" Iris shouted over the gathering crowd as they ran to the scene. The city council was trying to restrain them from the remains of the Meeting House, but they were uncontrolled and dazed at the event.

"Stay back!" she shouted again, climbing over a large chunk of concrete. Her eyes scanned the ruin for any sign of human life. Her right hand man materialized beside her.

"Carter!" she glanced at him, and then back at the pile of building left. "Was anyone inside?"

"As far as I know, everyone was still coming back from the funeral!" he shouted to her over the chaos. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" she answered. "But I'm going to find out!"

"Mayor Iris!"

Both city leaders turned at the familiar voice, watching as Jonas broke through the crowd with a redheaded twin by his side. They weren't sure which one it was.

"What happened? Who did this?" Jonas asked, coming up to the them.

"Is anyone hurt?" Eve threw in.

"No one was inside, as far as we know," Iris answered, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and smoke. "But I don't know how it happened."

"And why would there be a bomb in the Meeting House?" Jonas went on. "Certainly no one would plant it?"

"It doesn't make sense," Iris agreed, desperately looking around for an explanation. "Weapons and destructive arms are nonexistent in the community. The only way we know about them is from the memories of the Giver."

Eve suddenly shivered.

*************************************************

"The destruction of the communities was scheduled to occur on Monday, May 18."

"Confirmed, Sir."

"Then why was one of the explosives under 6339 activated today?!"

"Dr. Sheele has broken the codes to self-destruct mode, but only one bomb has been activated, most likely by accident."

"Accident?"

"The AI, once decoded, weakens its sound and light barriers, and the contrast in the systems could set off the circuits in a bomb, any of the bombs."

"… We're going in."

"Sir?"

"We'll deal with Dr. Sheele's treason after we settle the chaos in 6339. Tell the team to move out."

***************************************************

"This is insane!" Fiona coughed out, waving her hand to clear the bits of debris in the air. "What happened?"

"I don't think anybody knows," Asher supplied, pulling her along by the arm. They reached Jonas and Eve in record time, deep in conversation with the mayor.

"I want everybody out here right now!" Iris shouted to the board members, waving them off with one hand. "We can't get anything done unless we can hear ourselves think!"

Eve glanced around, taking note of the frightened people, all still in black from the funeral. They had, not too long ago, been very serene and pensive, and now they seemed worse than a rock concert. Slowly, one by one, the council members ushered them farther into the streets and back to their dwellings.

"I can't believe this," Iris muttered, hands on her hips as she surveyed the destroyed remains of the Meeting House. Huffing, she turned to Carter. "I want everyone in the council on this," she ordered, and could almost see him jotting it down in his brain. "Find out where the bomb was, and talk to anyone besides the council members who have been in the meeting house in the last week."

He nodded curtly and went off.

She turned to Jonas next. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"

"I wish I did," he answered solemnly, glancing at Eve. "Has anything like this ever happened before?"

"Never."

"Was it us, then?" Eve put in. When she received bewildered expressions from the circle, she continued flusteredly. "I mean, Jonas and I coming here could have set off some rebels…"

"No such thing," Iris contended. "The community has operated like clockwork for years."

A long silence passed, during which Fiona cast a wary glance at Jonas, visibly shaken. Her eyes wandered to her sister, standing beside him with her own worried expression swiftly covering her surroundings. Fiona couldn't help but think how odd it was, seeing her double beside Jonas.

"… Auditorium at seven tonight," Iris finished, and Fiona blinked, shaking herself to pay attention. When the mayor turned and walked off in the other direction with a council member by her side, Fiona turned to Asher.

"Everyone to the Auditorium?" she asked incredulously.

Her old friend shrugged. "She wants to reassure everybody. You know how sensitive some people still are."

"What about the outlying communities?" Fiona went on.

A nod. "I think she sent messengers out. They'll be here tonight."

*********************************************

Eve combed her hair absently with a black comb, staring blankly at the beige carpet of Lily's room. For the first few hours after the explosion, she had only been surprised and speechless. Now she sat with her thoughts clashing as the teeth of the comb lightly grazed her scalp. A bomb in the community? Something just wasn't right.

Naina knocked experimentally at the open door. "Eve?"

She turned from the dresser, comb suspended. "Yes?"

"Are you ready to go? It's almost seven," the older woman reported with a expectant tilt of her head.

"Yeah, just a minute," Eve answered softly, looking around the room for her shoes. Naina tilted her head the other way, watching the teenager with interest. Her unease about the explosion was evident, and the motherly instinct in her wanted only to comfort.

She smiled. "You catch up, all right? And don't worry about the bomb. I suppose we'll find out soon enough." With that, she knocked twice on the door for good measure and disappeared into the hallway.

The comb fell from her hand, plummeting to the carpet. Brown eyes wide, Eve instinctively tensed, trembling from the familiar words. Collette had said them to her just before she'd left for the community. She would find out soon enough…

"Oh god…" she whispered, looking out the window at the many figures walking down the street toward the Auditorium.

It was the Infrastructure! It had to be! They were truly the ones in control of the communities and there were no such things as accidents. It could only mean that Collette or Robert or anyone else in the Infrastructure had wanted the Meeting House to explode. But why? Did they want to do away with the communities once and for all? In that case, why had they waited until she and Jonas had retur—

__

They're going to kill us, Eve screamed in her head. That was why they had waited until she and Jonas returned! They were original products of the community, and for fear of any clones existing in the real world, they were being done away with.

Jonas. She had to tell Jonas. She had to tell everyone! 

With a surge of strength, Eve pushed a stray chair out of her way and headed for the door. A small, incessant beeping stopped her in her tracks. Shocked, her gaze flew over the room for the cell phone that was obviously ringing. And it was her ring.

"What the—" she muttered, digging through her shoulder bag for the device. She retrieved it and read the ID. "Hello?"

"Eve!"

"Diana! What are you—"

"Where are you?! Where have you been for the past three days without any word whatsoever! We've practically got the entire Luminus Police Department looking for you and Jonas!"

"How are you calling me?" Eve answered, jumping over her sister's questions with ease. "I haven't gotten a signal out here ever since I came!"

"And where exactly is 'here?'" Diana sounded annoyed, relieved, mad, and loving all at once.

Eve took a deep breath. "The community."

Silence on the other end.

"… Please tell me you didn't just say that."

The teenager winced and, out of nervous habit, began pacing. Step… step… step… "I did."

"I can't believe you! Do you have any idea what—"

Step… 

"We're in, over and out."

Eve blinked and stared at her cell phone with confusion. She placed it back to her ear. "Diana?" she tested, taking a step in the opposite direction. Reception probably wasn't coming in too clearly. But why had reception decided to start working right then?

"Diana, can you hear me?" 

Step…

"Auditorium is steadily being filled, Sir."

Amidst all the static, she was able to make out a male voice. Puzzled, Eve shook her phone and stepped in another direction. "Diana?" she said again.

More static. "… Women… children… over and out."

Frustrated, Eve took a step back and found crystal clear reception, but it wasn't Diana's familiar voice that flowed to her ears.

"Sir, I'm tracing a cell phone in 6339."

"Connection?"

"Frequency 1187 hertz, Sir. It's the twin."

"How?"

"Virtual barriers have been deshielded by Dr. Sheele, Sir. All previous frequencies guarded by the Washington base and the Infrastructure is now free air."

__

That's how Diana was able to call me, Eve thought momentarily, her suspicion rising.

"Clip the connection."

Eve's jaw dropped as she listened to the two male voices. How was that possible? How could they stop her connection? Frazzled, she was poised to take another step to try and get Diana's frequency, but new conversation kept her still.

"Sir, e-chip self-destruct has been set and activated for 1915 hours."

"No, give me manual control of them. I'll make sure everyone's within the blast radius."

"Yes, Sir."

Realization flooded her veins, seemed to pound throughout her temples like a raging river. "Jonas!" she cried, racing into the hallway. She reached the empty living room and peered frantically in the kitchen and dining room. Everyone was already gone. They were all in the auditorium, unknowingly awaiting their execution.

"Dammit!" Eve cursed, turning and heading for the front door that had been left open for her. Had it really been that long since Naina had come into her room? She raced down the porch stairs and out into the street, running toward the Central Plaza where the Auditorium was lit and alive with the population of the community.

__

I'll never reach them, she thought as she ran through the neighbors' yards. Glancing at her watch, she saw with dismay that it was just turning seven o'clock. And just what was she planning to do? Burst in the doors and tell everyone that the Infrastructure was planning to kill them all that night? They didn't even know the entire story behind their existence, and would most likely proclaim her insane.

She had to get to Jonas. He was the only one who would believe her.

***********************************************


	18. Give

Suggested listening: "Evil Light" from Xenogears

*********************************************

****

6339 – 7:03 p.m. EST

She reached the entrance to the Auditorium. Shouldering her way through the crowd coming in, she frantically searched the quickly filling seats for Jonas… Lily… Fiona… anybody… But there was no one she knew, and Iris was the only person on stage, talking in a low voice with a few council members off to the side.

Perhaps her plan would still work. Asher was just out of her reach. "Asher!"

Her peer turned at his name, searching the crowd for the voicer. "Hey, uh… Eve?" he asked, taking a wild guess as to which twin it was.

She nodded vigorously and tried to calm her heaving breaths. "Asher, how long have you known me?"

"Uh… three days?" he offered, confused. "Why?"

"Do you trust me enough to do everything I'm about to tell you to do?" 

Asher stared hard at her, his eyes squinted in a mixture of interest, confusion, and even wariness. She seemed so intent, so flushed and practically ready to burst through the roof if she didn't sit down and have a glass of water. But there was something else in her eyes. Something almost kin to… longing?

Slowly, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I don't have time to explain, but you have to trust me," she said, putting her hand on top of his. "We have to get out of here—now."

*********************************************

****

6339 – 7:09 p.m. EST

Fiona almost cried out at the hand that snaked around her upper arm, jerking her into the backstage area, but the hand that clamped around her mouth silenced any sound. Eyes wide, she kicked and struggled against her captor, surprised to find it was most definitely a woman pulling her back.

"It's me!"

All at once, the hands dropped, and Fiona spun, red hair flying as she recognized a voice so close to her own. "Eve! What in the world—"

"Do you love him?"

The question stunned her into a momentary silence. "…. W-what?"

When she looked closer, Eve almost seemed to be holding back tears. Her eyes had a sunken, desperate look to them, and she wanted only one answer. "Just tell me the truth. Do you love Jonas?"

Fiona searched her sister's eyes for any explanation of the unexpected question, but she found waiting twin irises, swimming in a sea of moisture. The restlessness seemed to radiate from her, permeated the air between them. Something about the way she was at that moment… it demanded an immediate answer. Still ignorant, Fiona swallowed slowly and sought to settle the hanging question before voicing her own.

"Yes."

Eve swallowed, acknowledging her with a broken nod, and looked away for a moment. When she looked back, Fiona's honest face had turned to one of concern. With her last ounce of strength, Eve smiled through her tears. "Good."

Fiona didn't remember quite so clearly what happened next, but Eve was suddenly right in front of her, pressing a white cloth to her face with surprising force. Unknowing, Fiona gasped for air, flinching slightly from the terrible smell of chloroform. Her eyes burned at the stench, and she struggled against her sister's hands.

Another gasp of air, and then the darkness swallowed her.

********************************************************

****

6339 – 7:14 p.m. EST

Eve stood center auditorium, surrounded on all sides by moving bodies, but apart from them at the same time. As if from intuition, she looked up to the skylights and balcony where uniformed black figures were filing one by one beside each other in military fashion. No one in the community seemed to notice them. All eyes were settled on Mayor Iris as she stood on the stage, but still refused to bring order to the bustling auditorium until she was through with her conversation with a few council members.

Eve was watching when the black figures swooped down to the stage.

"Nobody move!" the center figure shouted above the surprised gasp of the audience. "All exits have been blocked!"

Eve closed her eyes.

"Fiona?"

She opened them to find Katharine coming toward her, lost in the crowd at least twice before she appeared again at Eve's side. "What's going on?"

Eve put out a comforting arm and pulled the young girl close. Slowly, she dropped down to one knee, and Katharine followed her movement, confused and reassured at the same time. "Fiona?"

Yes, she was Fiona now. "It'll be all right," she said softly, looking through the crowd down to the stage where the black masked figure was slowing raising his fist. A familiar metal device was attached to his hand, fitting snugly around his first two fingers and creating a small, flat box in his palm.

Eve hugged the young girl closer, shrinking away from the rest of the crowd and praying that Asher was far enough to be out of reach from the pulse. She lay her head on Katharine's, holding onto the only part of Jonas she had left.

"You won't feel a thing," she whispered softly.

When the dull ache came, she knew the rest of the audience was reaching up to their necks in slight pain and confusion, but she didn't open her eyes. Katharine shifted in her arms. She held her closer and squeezed the last tears from her eyes. Then, after a moment, she could almost feel something in her breaking down, slowly shutting down...

__

You're not a robot with a serial number… not to me…

**************************************************

Asher had never cried in his life. As a child, he'd sniffled and pouted at scabbed knees and broken fingers, and a deep, bottomless sadness had been forever lodged in his heart when he found out his father had been executed by the old government for withholding information he didn't even know. But he had never truly cried and cried for purpose, cried for reason—real, tried and true reason. And now he was.

He remembered repeatedly looking back over his shoulder at the disappearing community, barely visible through the trees. He remembered almost stopping by the side of the road not too far away, but Eve had made him promise not to stop for anything. He remembered the three sleeping bodies in the backseat of the car, hastily tucked in amongst baggage and packed food in the last minute before she had rushed back in the Auditorium with only a fervored shout for him to go. 

He remembered stumbling into the driver's seat and fumbling clumsily with the keys before starting the ignition and roaring off down toward the river. Still shaking, he'd maneuvered the car over the outlying road of the community, driving past the wooden bridge that bridged so much more than anyone would ever know.

He remembered the passing trees on either side of the dirt path as he drove. He remembered passing the fields of agriculture. He remembered seeing birds circle overhead. And still he had driven on.

The small stream where he sat trickled merrily into the night, shimmering prettily in the moonlight. He didn't know what time it was. He could have easily looked at his watch, but even the strength for that seemed out of reach. He wasn't tired physically, but he could almost see his soul withering like a flower in the winter.

He was crying silently, watching the tears fall to the grass like rain. Eve's face wouldn't leave his mind, and he was struggling not to walk over to the car and shake Jonas awake, screaming, "Don't you know what she's done?!"

But of course he didn't know. He wouldn't know until he woke from the spell of chloroform, only to find himself with a splitting headache and telltale bruise where he had hit the floor after breathing in the awful formula.

Lily, too.

Fiona, too.

Asher sighed, cradling his head in his hands, trying to forget what he had escaped mere hours before. Chip and all, he was still alive, breathing and crying, while his community and his entire world had crumbled under the push of a button… while one redheaded twin had crumbled under the love between her sister and the Receiver.

The teenager raised his head to the moonlight and looked brokenly into the night sky. Time wasn't unlimited. He would have to start again soon.

********************************************************

The nausea was the first thing she felt. The throbbing of her skull came next. She struggled slowly back to consciousness, trying desperately to gather together the pieces of her shattered memory. Where was she? Why did she feel so sick? And why was she being jostled along what felt like a road made entirely of rocks?

She groaned and lifted one hand to her temple, eyes fluttering open to see the ceiling of a vehicle only used for transportation between communities. Squinting, Fiona tried to focus her eyesight, but when her vision cleared, she instantly wished it hadn't.

Asher drove. Lily sat next to him in the passenger seat, her young face drawn and heavy with a sadness that seemed to age her twenty years. It was silent in the car. Jonas sat beside her in the backseat, his head in his hands as he hid his face from the rest of the world. His shoulders shuddered, giving him breath he didn't want, movement he didn't need. Fiona sat up, reaching with one hand toward him.

"Jonas?"

She finally noticed the single sheet of paper clutched in his hand when he didn't turn toward her, but only handed it to her. Fiona took it slowly, glancing down at the unfamiliar cursive. Curiosity wouldn't let her ask questions. Instead, it forced her to read the lines…

*********************************************

****

Washington, D.C.

__

Sent : Report Comm. Project Annihilation _to_ D-34762, Tuesday, May 19, 2150

__

Received : 8:01 a.m. EST

* SERIAL NUMBER 9-20162… _searching_…

****

CONFIRMING E-CHIP CIRCUIT SHORTAGE …

__

found… **NAINA, CONFIRMED**

* SERIAL NUMBER 9-11073… _searching_…

****

CONFIRMING E-CHIP CIRCUIT SHORTAGE…

__

found… **KATHARINE, CONFIRMED**

* SERIAL NUMBER 9-60035… _searching_…

****

CONFIRMING E-CHIP CIRCUIT SHORTAGE…

__

found… **FIONA**…** UNCONFIRMED**

* **SERIAL NUMBER 9-60036**… searching…

****

CONFIRMING E-CHIP CIRCUIT SHORTAGE…

__

found… **EVE, CONFIRMED**

***********************************************

__

I once told Diana when I was eight years old that family meant more to me than anything. I would give anything to see them happy, them before myself or anyone else. I would die for them.

I'm thankful that the time has come when I can prove my words. I may not have known it then, but I understand it now better than ever. There is destiny, and there is fate. I was taken seventeen years ago, to escape a world of dull and lifeless existence. Fate. I went back three days ago, to see my sister, my family. Destiny. I decided only five minutes ago that she was more than worth my words.

You couldn't have known, and you couldn't have stopped me. But you have to believe me when I say I have no regrets and no fear. In these last few minutes, I think only of the people I'm giving my life to. I was given the chance to live, and I now give that chance equally, to a certain twin who was robbed of her first love and her best friend.

Love,

Eve

_The End._


	19. Epilogue

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The front door burst open to reveal a woman of twenty-seven or so, her brown hair flying out behind her as she descended the porch steps to the just-arriving car.

"Eve! Jonas!"

Fiona stepped out of the car slowly, maneuvering her head so her forehead wouldn't meet the door. There was a dead expression in her eyes, desperate for something past love and warmth… family.

"Oh my god," Diana said, running up to the red-haired teenager and crushing her in an embrace. "I can't believe you! Do you know how long you've been gone?" Truthfully, it had been five days.

It took a full second for Fiona to return the hug. "… Seems like forever," she whispered brokenly, staring at Jonas over Diana's shoulder.

Diana pulled back. "You are grounded!" she ordered before turning to face Jonas. "And you too! Neither of you are ever leaving the house again!"

Almost three hours later, the coffee cup in Diana's hand shook uncontrollably. Peter tactfully reached over and removed it from her fingers. She gave it up easily, leaning forward to cover her face with her hands.

Fiona and Jonas sat opposite the coffee table from them, silent. A long moment passed before her name pierced the air for the first time since her arrival.

"Fiona?"

The teenagers glanced at each other, then back to the carpet. Fiona closed her eyes and counted slowly to three before uttering her answer.

"… Dead."

Diana shook her head slowly, tears in her eyes. "Oh god, I'm so glad you came back, Eve. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't."

Fiona swallowed thickly. She kept telling herself to answer, but the words wouldn't come. Jonas reached over and entwined his hand in hers.

"Me either," he said softly.

Diana and Peter stood after a few minutes and left the room, twin expressions of incredibility reflected. But they were believers.

She felt his hand on her cheek barely after their departure. Determined, he turned her face toward him, looking intently in both her eyes. Then, very slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Fiona didn't even close her eyes.

"Fiona…" he said softly.

She shook her head. "Eve," she corrected, barely a breath behind the word. She closed her eyes, silently saying the words she knew her sister could hear.

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You did give me a chance at life. You gave me your life.

The End. 

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Author's Wrap-Up

Eve supporters unite to flame me. Come on, you know want to. ^_^ Questions? Yes, I know you probably have many of them. E-mail me or review.

I confess; this was an English assignment. But of course, I wasn't going to let readers know that by putting it in the summary because lord knows how many other Giver fics have it in theirs. I suppose I wanted to be unique. ^_^

I opened the book to look for a good sub-plot and flipped almost straight to page 115 (paperback edition) to find the words that have stuck with me for five years.

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"Jonas, listening, thought suddenly about the bridge and how, standing there, he had wondered what lay Elsewhere. Was there someone there, waiting, who would receive the tiny released twin? Would it grow up Elsewhere, not knowing, ever, that in this community lived a being who looked exactly the same?"

And I wanted to shout, EUREKA!! but I settled for a dropped jaw. That was the winning phrase in the entire novel, and I knew exactly what I was going to write my assignment sequel about.

But there was something I had to get around, and that was the fact that at that point in the book, the reader doesn't yet know that release is murder. Being twelve years old, and not quite as polished a writer as I am today, I merely said the twin escaped somehow with a helper. 

My original idea? Jonas finds his twin Elsewhere. Second idea? Jonas finds Lily's/Mother's/Father's twin Elsewhere. After a night of playing Final Fantasy VII (which was THE video game at the time) and watching a sweet exchange between the hero, Cloud, and his childhood love, Tifa? Jonas finds **Fiona's** twin Elsewhere.

I liked that one best. I was a romantic then, and that still hasn't changed. Truth be told, I was always unsatisfied with the way the book left Jonas and Fiona's relationship hanging. Lois Lowry obviously made a point to say Jonas liked her as more than a friend, what with the dreams and their sexual innuendo and always describing the little redhead as beautiful, calm, nice, sweet, patient, polite, fun, lovely…

Yeah, need I say more? Fiona was the Mary-Sue of The Giver, ain't no one gonna convince me otherwise. She was virtually perfect until you learn from the Giver that she releases the Old very efficiently, without any feeling of remorse. And then you start pushing her off into the gray blend of "unfeeling characters," to which you have already pegged Father, Mother, Lily, and Asher. And hot damn, the romantic in me wanted Fiona not to give in, but Lois Lowry had a different plan.

But what do we do when we don't like the way the original work went? We write FANFICTION, hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! 

Ahem. Anyway, I wrote my little sequel about Jonas knocking on somebody's door and being let in, (because there isn't really any other way to pick up right after the book) but low and behold, who does he see but a girl who is the spitting image of his childhood love. And her name is Eve.

I should probably tell you right now, I LOVE symbolism. And who doesn't, am I right? Is that not just the most powerful tool an author can use to convey a theme? Symbolism and irony are my favorite literary tools. I pack my stories full of them, every single one.

Like I said, I'm not a religious person at all, but I like to use mythological and biblical references to symbolize my characters because both of those writings are universal, so anyone and everyone can understand my characters. My original characters in this story, Eve, Diana, and Peter, are the symbols for their historical or mythological character, and I'm pretty sure some of you picked up on that.

I made a small reference to it in chapter five, but I think most people just brushed it off as conversation. And maybe not, you tell me. Anyhow, the story of Adam and Eve was always something I wanted to put in TFOL, just to get readers thinking. I named Fiona's twin Eve because she was (so said the Hebrews, allegorically) the first woman on Earth. 

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"Fiona is already being trained in the fine art of release," The Giver told him. "She's very efficient at her work, your red-haired friend. Feelings are not part of the life she's learned." (pg. 153)

I wanted to make a major foil here, in the sense that Fiona was the twin who was controlled and unfeeling, while Eve was the twin who "received the knowledge," so to speak. The biblical Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge and was enlightened with things like lust and the evils of the world. And she was booted out of the Garden of Eden for it. Both Eve's are strong female characters who were fated to know the truth and live in an imperfect world, but as a whole, be more complete as people and as women.

People were supposed to think Eve was a Mary-Sue, especially in the first few chapters of the fic where I made sure to drop as many compliments about her as I could… polite, free-spirited, pretty…

Yeah.

But Lois Lowry brought Fiona down with the release/murder ordeal. I paralleled that with bringing Eve down by giving her a *sigh* boyfriend. Because, as we all know, nobody is perfect. And oh, the irony of _that_ saying in reference to a story like The Giver.

Diana. In Greek Mythology, she is Artemis, goddess of the hunt. I used her Roman name, however, simply because it's more fitting in a story like this. Artemis strikes me as an exotic, fantasy, Harry Potter-esque name that would be better suited to a—hehe—goddess. Still, the symbolism is the same. 

She was the huntress, the mastermind behind escaping the community. Diana the goddess was also the protector of youth, and I figure it doesn't get more blazing obvious that I was paralleling that to the Diana in my story with her protecting baby Eve from a nasty fate.

Peter. Jesus' right hand man, the head of the disciples, etc. Before Jesus died, he asked Peter three times if he would, basically, look after his people—the Jews, obviously. Peter in my fic is definitely the protector, both to Diana and Eve and, eventually, Jonas and Gabriel. I don't know if I was shooting for a fatherly image, really, but if it came across like that, I won't say you're wrong.

Luminus. Even my city names have symbolism, for Pete's sake. Definition of luminous—full of light, giving off light; shining (Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary). And Jonas has "seen the light," so to speak, with his arriving Elsewhere, and knowing the pleasures and pains of life. And even in the book, I was trying to make it so that while he was trudging through the snow with Gabriel, it was almost like Luminus was the beacon, the light that he had to reach.

All symbolism aside, OF COURSE, my original idea had Eve and Jonas falling for each other after learning their common factor was Fiona. And in sixth grade, it worked. I wrote three notebook pages total, front and back, explaining Eve's survival and hinting at a romance between herself and Jonas.

I got an A+.

And the years went on, me writing as always. I registered with fanfiction.net in September of 2000, during my freshman year in high school. My obsession at that point in my life was Final Fantasy VIII, which I still write fanfiction for, very dedicatedly, I must say.

But I was browsing one day and noticed The Giver amongst the many categories in the books section of the site. I thought absently, very absently, "Hm. I wonder if I can put up the sequel I wrote in sixth grade."

And all of the sudden, I wasn't so absent anymore. It's fate, I tell you.

I clawed through four years worth of schoolwork for those three notebook pages and finally found them stuffed in a folder with some old worksheets. But of course, reading the narration style made me want to vomit, because it plainly consisted of,

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Jonas knocked on the door. It opened. "Who are you?" the woman asked. "I'm Jonas. Can I come in?"

Yes, I am quoting directly. For the love of Zeus, I knew I had to buff it up, but I was determined. After browsing through the fics in this section, I realized no one else had come up with the plot of Fiona's twin, or anyone's twin, for that matter. So I set out to make a splash in The Giver fanfiction, and judging from the reviews, you guys liked it.

More confessions: Diana and Peter were not in the original three-page English assignment. I only had an elderly woman looking after Eve, having been the one to take her from the Community. She remained nameless then, but I made her evolve into Rachelle, Diana and Eve's adoptive mother.

Diana and Peter were thought up as I was rewriting, as was the whole, and I mean WHOLE explanation about them escaping the community. And I mean even more WHOLE when I thought of Collette and Robert, and the Infrastructure.

It took me a night to think this plot up. When you're on a roll, you're on a roll, you know what I'm saying? As authors, we've all had our moments.

It was difficult trying to make myself understand it, though, if that makes any sense. I knew what I wanted to write—the communities being the result of government stem-cell research and the twisted minds of a few individual scientists—but I had to make it all fit in with the book.

The way Lois Lowry wrote The Giver was… difficult to pick up with a realistic plot. She had a touch of the supernatural in her story, with the sunless sky, colorless vision, and memories going to EVERYBODY once the Receiver left. But she never fully explained the transition from real world to organized Utopia. There were just wisps of conversation that said things like, "Before Sameness, before they did away with differences…"

Yeah, okay, Lois, that's just ASKING for fanfiction right there.

And me? Well, I found it pretty hard to try and tie her supernatural setting with a realistic explanation. Knowing that her story was set in the future, however, I managed to explain it with a concept that we have in today's world.

Artificial Intelligence.

And the web was spun. Also, the peace in the Middle East thing is something that would tie the story in with things that are happening now, with us. Or, actually, when I thought up the plot, it was 2001, after September 11. I figured readers might better understand the reason behind the Community Project if it had to do with FINALLY being able to create a peaceful arrangement between the two peoples who have fought against each other for the last 2000+ years, both religiously and politically.

So there you have it. The government was really just trying to see if they could create the perfect state by means of conditioning pain, hunger, and war, and yet doing away with pleasures, love, and the good stuff in life.

I'm not going to get too philosophical, because I think the book had its own philosophy that I simply just carry on with TFOL. The love story is prominent, or it's supposed to be, but if you feel like the sci-fi portion of it overshadowed the Eve-Jonas-Fiona triangle, please tell me.

I love romantic sacrifice. I think, when written well, it can be VERY effective, because I know the waterworks come real easy when I read or see it. And Eve, well, I wrote her to be very strong-willed and valorous, but I didn't want to martyr her, necessarily. She only did what she thought was right, and by that point, the reader knows she really does love Jonas.

As does Fiona. And even if she is going to be called Eve for the rest of her life by everyone except Jonas and Lily, she's proud of her twin sister, and more than grateful. There's an irony in Jonas ending up with Fiona but having to call her Eve in front of others. It's representative of the fact that he did love Eve, and not because she had Fiona's face, but because he really and truly did fall in love with her for who she was.

And I'm sure there is eye-rolling and criticism from those who think you can't be in love with two people at the same time, and even a little part of me doesn't quite believe it, but I wanted to write a common love story with a unique twist. I'll say it again—I am an avid supporter of Jonas and Fiona. But Eve has her own spotlight, and it's bittersweet.

Well now. I think I've outlined all the major themes and symbolism, because it would take so many more paragraphs to tell you all the rest of them… the black chairs, the bridge… yeah, that would spoil you finding them all, you know?

This story is something I'm proud of, and I would venture to say it's my most… involved piece. And all this because of one person: Mrs. Holland. She assigned the class a sequel and I turned in a pathetic little piece, but I've fixed it all up to my liking now. 

ONE LAST THING: I was reading and rereading the book for references and information just the other day when I stumbled across another passage that could have inspired a story similar to The Face of Love:

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Lily grinned. "I have a better idea for one more story," she announced. "What if we were all twins and didn't know it, and so Elsewhere, there would be another Lily, and another Jonas, and another Father, and another Asher, and another Chief-Elder, and another—" 

Another _Fiona_, that's who. And thus Eve is created. Pun intended.

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Thank you to each and every one of you who read and reviewed this fic, because you guys really kept me on my toes with these last chapters. I said I would finish by August 7, and so here you are.

Peace out,

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Apple Pie


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